As new ONS figures show reduced sickness absence, we ask, are employers just scaring sick people back to work?

It seems an ironic question for an absence management software company to ask, but as a new ONS report shows the lowest recorded absence levels since records began in 1993, it is important that employers ask themselves honestly whether any change in sickness absence is down to fear and presenteeism trends rather than a healthier workforce.

Many larger organisations have simply 'toughened up' on their absence management policies for dealing with staff sickness, rather than investing in systems which would deliver more support for unwell staff and distinguish sickies from genuine employee illness.

Here's how HR News reported the issue, with comment from Activ Absence's absence management expert, Adrian Lewis:

Minor illnesses most common reason for sickness absence

Minor illnesses (such as coughs and colds) were the most common reason for sickness absence in 2016, accounting for nearly a quarter of all sick days (24.8% of the total days lost), closely followed by musculoskeletal problems (including back pain, neck and upper limb problems) at 30.8 million days (22.4%).
11.5% of sickness absence was attributed to mental illness (including stress, depression and anxiety) which resulted in 15.8 million days off sick (11.5%).

Older workers and public sector workers taking less time off

Those with the highest rates of sickness absence included women, older workers, those with long-term health conditions, smokers, public health sector workers and those working in the largest organisations (those with 500 or more employees).
Reductions in sickness absence rates over the last 2 decades include workers with long-term health conditions, workers aged 50 to 64, and those working in the public sector, with public sector organisations responding to calls for them to tackle absence after traditionally higher rates than those seen in the private sector.

Staff need to be healthy, not scared and sick in work

Absence management expert Adrian Lewis of Activ Absence gave the figures a cautious welcome, but expressed concern about possible presenteeism where organisations have implemented new absence management policies without investing in new technology.  He said:

“It’s great to see any reduction in sick days, most notably in the public sector.  We know that this has almost certainly come from concerted efforts to manage sickness absence better, and we’ve enjoyed working with our public and private sector clients to put the tools in place to support sick workers more effectively.

“My concern is that some employers are still not be getting the balance right – it’s not just about improving the figures, we want staff to be healthy, not scared to take time off.   Many employers have ‘tightened up’ on policies without any analysis or investment in tools to give meaningful data.  

"I recently heard of a public sector employee with pneumonia, clearly too sick to work, who was afraid of being disciplined under a sickness absence policy, so went into work anyway.  Ironically, the sickness monitoring system being used by that organisation only measured long term absence and could not even identify the ‘odd sickie’ trends which are far more disruptive to the business.
Presenteeism is a very real concern.”   

Nation of ‘mucus troopers’

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady agreed, saying:

“We are really a nation of mucus troopers, with people more likely to go to work when ill than stay at home when well.

“Sickness absence rates have fallen steadily over the past decade, and let us not forget that working people put in billions of pounds worth of unpaid overtime each year.”

Statistics are not always accurate

Adrian also expressed concern about how organisations calculate sick day statistics, saying:

“Many manual spreadsheets and payroll-only systems do not give accurate estimates of staff sick days anyway, so for some organisations these figures will be a guess at best.  In my opinion, a proper automated absence management system with good reporting tools will not only accurately measure absence but will also distinguish between employees who swing the lead and identify those genuinely sick employees in need of support (not discipline).

“The right systems need to be followed up with best-practice HR policies, such as conducting return to work interviews, even for short term absence – with the focus being on support, not judgement.  The resulting analytics can also be used to identify opportunities to improve staff health and wellbeing – and can help make sure your benefits strategy is aligned with these goals.

“Any strategy to reduce sick days should never include scaring genuinely sick people back into work.”

As Activ People HR launches the new Activ Appraisals Website, Adrian asks, are Appraisals a thing of the past?

Adrian Lewis is the Commercial Director for Activ People HR


Performance appraisals receive conflicting press. The need for them or otherwise is proving hard to settle in the HR world.

One minute we are being told that performance appraisals are dead, with the CIPD reporting in 2015 that 2/3 of businesses want to restructure the process and 1 in 20 businesses are planning to scrap performance appraisals altogether.

Skip forward 12 months and the CIPD are reporting on a CEB study that found employers who scrapped appraisals have seen ‘significant’ drops in productivity – so where does HR go next?

In my experience, many SME’s have never used appraisals anyway, but lots of them are saying they need to and they are looking for appraisals software to help manage the task.

As our blue chip customers speak to us about improving existing processes, most of the SME's I speak to have no formal structure in place for staff appraisals and it's high on their list of priorities. The new research and the UK’s productivity gap brings appraisals back to the table – but for many, introducing performance appraisals was ON the table anyway - and our new website, www.activappraisals.co.uk, is already receiving praise!

The Way we Were

The old, outdated model is definitely NOT the way to implement performance appraisals. With annual reviews linked to pay and the opinion of just one manager, both staff and managers simply found the process stressful and unhelpful.

In older structures, standards would vary widely from one appraiser to another and whilst the review should relate to a whole year, in practice it only related to the last few weeks and was purely based on the reviewer’s current opinion on the reviewee’s performance – records were either non existent or messy, goals were arbitrary and the endless exchange of Word documents created a challenge - and we wonder why it didn’t work well!

I’m not surprised some larger businesses scrapped the process – but the drop in productivity shows that scrapping them is not working either, so rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater, the UK needs to tackle its productivity issues and start to engage their people in a constructive way. Those who have improved the performance review process are already seeing results.

Adobe succeeds with Process Reform

Software giants Adobe have replaced annual performance appraisals with a system of ongoing feedback - results are very encouraging.

An employee or a manager can request a “check-in” meeting every three months.

Before the meeting, the manager requests feedback from the employee, and also obtains feedback from their peers across different levels, including co-workers and other managers. The results give the manager a wider perspective on staff performance. The manager can then tailor their advice accordingly. The approach is collaborative, continuous and engages both sides. Group performance is also evaluated, leading to a more rational determination of group compensation.

The results speak for themselves: Since changing the process, Adobe have experienced a 30 percent reduction in voluntary staff turnover – which is rare in a highly competitive talent environment.

Automation can make it easier

Our Bridgend-based team recently celebrated the launch of a new version of our Activ Appraisals software, which helps businesses conduct more effective performance reviews. The same steps could be followed manually, but the automation makes it less time consuming and avoids a flurry back and forth of Word documents and emails.

Firstly, HR are able to set up a competency framework, so that line managers have a consistent standard throughout the business against which to assess employees.
Managers can choose the frequency of the review meetings, but employees are involved in the process, rather than just called to attend a review meeting.

Managers can still elect to do traditional annual appraisals if they prefer, however there are conscious changes which improve consistency within the process and more importantly, engage employees better. For dynamic employers keen to move towards a more frequent ‘Adobe style’ process, the system works brilliantly.

Managers can choose the frequency of the review meetings, but employees are involved in the process, rather than just called to attend a review meeting. Employee feedback is requested automatically ahead of the meeting, which the manager will have chance to review in advance. The system also allows managers to implement peer reviews, commonly called 360 degree reviews, though not everyone uses this feature.

Setting Smart Objectives

In order for performance objectives to work, it is universally agreed that they need to be SMART:

· (S) Specific
· (M) Measurable
· (A) Achieveable
· (R) Realistic and
· (T) Time framed

The Activ Appraisals system helps managers create objective statements in a SMART format.

Post meeting, managers can review or modify objectives at any time and employees are automatically notified. The system also allows employees to add their own SMART objectives and request training at any time, automatically notifying the manager.

Businesses using the Activ Appraisals software have praised its ability to improve the success of performance reviews. The ability to tailor the software to suit business processes is often praised by customers like Kleinwort Benson, although success is largely down to the improvements that the software makes to the process itself.

Encouraging an Individual Approach within a consistent Framework

Whilst software can help, the secret to helping line managers ‘get reviews right’ is to consider employees as individuals, encouraging dialogue and acknowledging and rewarding individuals whilst maintaining consistency in approach.

Focusing on an individual and taking their input consultatively recognises their worth and promotes a flexible approach and individual coaching – which usually produces better results.

Far from being dead, regular performance appraisals can be empowering and can leave an employee feeling more motivated and a vital part of the team. In a climate where competition for talent is hotting up, and the productivity gap is a constant challenge, I'd argue that not embracing some form of performance review leaves SME's missing a trick.

For the many SME’s who are struggling without them, I'm told implementing performance reviews is very much on the table.

Codel Software Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

Last Friday was the culmination of 10 years of hard work by the Codel Software Team, and our Directors, Richard and Adrian, took us out to celebrate.

It was an absolutely awesome night and on behalf of the whole team, I'd like to say a big thank you to our bosses, Codel is a great place to work and we're fortunate to be part of your hugely successful team.

Here's some pictures of the night: