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Last updated: 22 June 2006

Fostering an attendance culture: A guide for APS agencies

Section 5: Fostering an attendance culture – developing an approach

Measuring absence – diagnosing trends and hotspots

Collecting and reporting data on the patterns and extremes of absence are essential to diagnosing if an actual problem exists. Absence trends and hot spots can then inform strategies for intervention.

Monthly or quarterly reporting provides greater insight to fluctuations and trends, as does a breakdown of data by business unit level, leave type and number of days. Understanding the distinct drivers of workplace absence will be lost if aggregated figures of workplace absence categories are used. A better approach is to review and monitor each of the categories separately, and apply strategies based on the findings. There are a number of methodologies available for calculating absence rates, three examples are included at Appendix B.

Absence data can also be viewed in the context of staff satisfaction and exit surveys, retention rates, and the rate of use of counselling services to identify underlying factors. If particular hot spots are identified, spending time consulting with staff about the leave rates may also yield valuable insights into underlying cultural factors.

Investigations may reveal the need for longer term cultural change. The analysis is also likely to show that management practices could be introduced (or revised) in the short term to address problematic rates, and assist in bringing about longer term change.

Taking action – targeting areas of greatest impact

There is no quick fix, or ‘silver bullet’, to problematic workplace absence. It is necessary for individual agencies to develop targeted strategies to address specific issues. Strategies will most likely reflect a combination of improved processes and policies for aiding the return to work of ill or injured employees, and flexible working practices which allow employees to respond to emergency and unplanned situations as they arise. In addition, where agencies are experiencing high rates of workplace absence, strategies which target the motivation of employees are likely to have the greatest impact on reducing absence rates.

The Turned Up and Tuned In model (see below) identifies the influences on workplace attendance, a number of which occur at the individual level and are largely beyond the control of the organisation. The model shows where organisations and managers should focus their attention to impact on motivation to attend. Individuals also have certain responsibilities in managing their own attendance.

Turned Up and Tuned In⁵¹

Individual characteristics Values Age Attitude Gender	Ability to attend Illness Injury	Barriers to attendance Carer´s responsibilities Personal emergencies
Organisation	Manager	Employee
Leadership Culture People management policies	Management style and practices Team Culture Team size and structure Job scope and responsibility Know your staff Job design and work flow Co-worker relations	Sense of responsibility Self organisation Commitment to organisation, team, manager, role
	Turned Up and Tuned In

At the highest level an organisation can influence attendance rates by focusing on three core areas—leadership, organisational culture and people management practices. Any strategy designed to address the underlying causes of workplace absence is more likely to be effective if it includes a focus on developing a highly capable cadre of senior executives, a culture of engagement and performance and a set of integrated people management practices.

The extent to which these factors impact on workplace absence and the discretionary choice of employees to attend work will differ according to the specific context. Similarly the level of intervention required to address the underlying causes will vary. However, a combination of short and longer term strategies will be required to bring about sustained improvements.

Practices which encourage an engaged and motivated workforce will have a positive influence on attendance. There are three areas where gains can be made in influencing attendance. They are:

• focusing on absence management via a coordinated absence management strategy
• supporting and developing managers to deal with a range of absence scenarios
• implementing a range of people management policies and practices that aim to motivate attendance.

Absence management strategy

A clear, fair and well-communicated policy supported by senior and line management is one of the most effective strategies for addressing workplace absence. Sending the message that the agency is focusing on the issue can sometimes be enough to reduce absence rates. Without consistent monitoring employees can be more inclined to take discretionary absences.

Initial gains can be quickly lost if the policy isn’t linked to other practices and the message continually reinforced. Absence rates tend to be lower where the issues are acknowledged by senior management, supported by well developed and widely communicated policies, where high-level communication exists between HR and operational areas, and where managers are supported by training.⁵²

A well rounded approach typically has the following elements:

• a clear statement of the organisational expectations and approach to managing absence
• an understanding of the underlying causes of absence within the organisation, appreciating the impact of culture, practices and leadership
• identification of the short and longer term practices needed to address those causes
• clearly defined roles and responsibilities for line managers, human resource areas, occupational health professionals and employees
• a balanced view (i.e. support for genuinely sick or injured employees whilst deterring discretionary absence)
• developing the capabilities required by line managers to actively address problematic absences.

An example of an absence management strategy adopted by Centrelink is provided at Appendix C.

The following table outlines a range of practices that can be used to assist with strategy implementation:

Components	Supporting practices
Communicating the organisation’s commitment and expectations around absence management	Releasing a policy statement outlining the importance of absence management and the value of employee attendance. Including accountability measures for attendance in performance reviews for managers. Focus on strategies being used rather than rates of absence and avoid a culture of punitive management. Including absence management as a standing agenda item in executive meetings. Establishing attendance expectations by providing information on absence management policies, responsibilities not to attend work if too sick or injured, what leave is available and what it is to be used for, expectations around the provision of medical certificates and entering sick leave into HR systems.
Investigating underlying causes	Holding focus groups with managers and staff to identify underlying issues affecting their work and commitment. Establishing staff forums for employees to discuss organisational issues which are affecting their work, and following this through with actions to resolve the issues. Analysing absence data on a regular basis, and sharing the results with senior management and line managers responsible for addressing absences.
Articulating a process for managing short term absences	Communicating minimum expectations to line managers of how short term leave should be handled (i.e. call in procedures, use of medical certificates). In large teams or service areas, identifying one team member to receive call-ins. Provide them with training in having conversations and exploring options for alternative duties for the day if fit to do so (e.g. filing/administration duties rather than working on the service desk).
Articulating a process for widespread absences across an organisation	Planning for the possibility that the organisation may be affected by an event which renders a significant part of the workforce: ill or injured unable to attend due to emergency caring responsibilities unwilling to attend due to risk factors (perceived or real). Developing procedures and protocols focused on health and safety procedures, clear communication and support for employees, and business continuity planning.
Articulating a process for managing long term absences and return to work procedures	Identifying trigger points for HR or case management intervention which ties in with return to work programmes for absences exceeding a defined period (e.g. 5-10 days absence is common in some agencies). Dedicating resources to investigate problem areas, for example, a dedicated case manager to review long term cases and facilitate return to work. Acknowledging that there will be cases where employees suffer from long term illness and injury, and will require support from the agency.
Clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the agency, managers and employees in managing absence	Educating staff and managers on the leave provisions within the agency, providing clear instruction on their purpose and use. Educating line managers on their responsibility for managing cases, and the support and advice that can be provided by HR.
Outlining a process for addressing illness and injury which impact on ability to attend	Providing annual flu injections, early intervention and rehabilitation programmes for injury related cases, employee counselling programmes, work station assessments, health week activities and occupational health and safety practices. Introducing policies and procedures which focus on prevention, early intervention, referral pathways and return to work policies (see the Department of Health and Ageing case study at Appendix C).
Outlining a process for addressing barriers which impact on ability to attend	Providing carer’s leave, part time and work from home arrangements, day swapping, flex time and time in lieu.
Explaining for what purposes leave allocations are to be used	Tightening up provisions in workplace agreements as to how leave is to be used. Reserve the right to enforce greater use of medical certificates where persistent workplace absence is occurring. Where generous leave provisions apply, providing guidelines for interpreting and applying the provisions, and outlining a process for escalated decision making when extended leave is requested.
Defining the point at which intervention or disciplinary strategies will be put in place if an individual’s absence exceeds a certain point	Determining a cut off point within your agency to indicate when absences reach an unacceptable level and trigger further action (e.g. a number of absences, singular or consecutive over a defined time period53). Linking absenteeism with performance management, underperformance processes, and fitness for duty assessments once all reasonable efforts to manage the absence have failed.

In some instances, agencies may choose to adopt a target rate as a goal for the agency to work towards. Targets should be:

• realistic
• clearly communicated as to when and where it is appropriate to use such measures
• seen as just one measure of success
• seen in the context of longer term improvements, and not just the sole driver of change
• acknowledged for their limitations (i.e. will not detect variations within the agency or subtleties in absence categories if aggregated figures are used)
• mindful of genuine cases of illness and injury.

Inappropriate use of targets can also result in employees feeling compelled to attend work despite being medically unfit. It is better to tackle the underlying problem and focus on positive approaches to improving attendance.

Medical certificates are often raised as a significant issue for agencies and line managers. Privacy restrictions can limit the ability to seek further detail regarding the medical reasons cited for the absence. In addition, conflicting advice between the individual’s medical practitioner, and medical assessments arranged by agencies can also be an issue.

An employee’s health and/or illness is personal and sensitive information and requires the employee’s explicit consent before their doctor can disclose or discuss a medical condition.

To some extent these issues can be overcome by encouraging managers to establish work environments based on trust and support, where employees feel confident to discuss the reasons for their absence.

Developing and supporting managers

Good line management is a key driver of staff performance, engagement and attendance. There is considerable scope for managers to influence employee motivation to attend work by changing their management practices (see Turned Up and Tuned In model). Even where there is limited flexibility around job requirements, managers can improve the experiences of employees through effective recruitment (engaging the right person for the job), providing effective feedback and establishing a collaborative workplace culture.

Manager’s efforts need to be backed by organisational support. With the right skills and capabilities, managers are well placed to address workplace absences. However, across the APS there are managers who are unsure of their responsibilities, legal boundaries, and how to have difficult conversations around problematic cases. A significant challenge for agencies and HR areas is to ensure that managers have the skills required to manage staff effectively.

When it comes to workplace absence, managers need to:

• acknowledge and act on their responsibilities for managing staff attendance and wellbeing
• take a proactive approach to managing absence, raising concerns with employees if patterns of absence begin to emerge
• understand and apply leave provisions correctly
• provide support for those employees whose absence is affected by their ability to attend, or barriers to attendance
• guide longer term absences through a return to work process, in conjunction with HR
• create a supportive and rewarding environment where employees are engaged and motivated to attend work
• maintain the privacy and confidentiality of individuals.

Agencies can support managers in doing this by:

• providing education sessions on agency policies and expectations, provided either at induction or as part of refresher courses on people management responsibilities and strategies
• training managers in interpreting and approving leave provisions, and reviewing absence data
• including absence management in performance agreements, focusing on strategies and people management
• providing avenues for issues beyond a manager’s expertise, e.g. case management for long term absences and referral pathways for social work, medical or psychological services
• building manager capabilities focussing on management responsibilities, strategies for dealing with short, long term and pattern absences, return to work interviews, referral pathways, when and how HR areas become involved, and taking disciplinary or underperformance action
• providing regular reports on absence rates as a way of highlighting problems and reinforcing their management role
• providing coaching and advice from HR and senior managers.

The case study on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission at Appendix C provides an example of supporting and developing managers.

A separate guide has been prepared by the Commission specific to the needs of line managers and outlines practical strategies and approaches for dealing with workplace absences.⁵⁴

People management practices

Where high absenteeism is presenting a problem, motivational factors related to the employee’s level of engagement may be a contributing factor. Low engagement has been linked to high absence rates, with research into a Fortune 100 manufacturing company finding that absences in low engagement teams averaged 8%, with turnover at 14.5%. In a highly engaged team, absences averaged 4.8%, and turnover averaged 4.1%.⁵⁵

Better practice approaches are now focusing on engagement— getting employees to turn up and tune in. Focusing on engagement can lead to a number of positive benefits including improved attendance, improved performance, and reduced turnover.⁵⁶ A number of APS agencies are adopting this focus on engagement and concepts of organisational health.

Consulting directly with staff will give valuable insight into issues which may be affecting their motivation. A number of APS agencies measure engagement through staff satisfaction surveys (see Department of Education, Science and Training case study at Appendix C). Surveys can provide insight into how employees feel about their role in the organisation, the level of empowerment in the job, teamwork and collaboration, training and development, support and recognition, and their satisfaction and loyalty toward the organisation.⁵⁷

People management policies and practices targeted at keeping employees motivated and engaged include recruitment practices, training and development programmes, performance appraisal schemes, fair and equitable treatment, remuneration strategies, and job design.⁵⁸ Some key strategies are outlined in the following table.

People management policies and practices influencing attendance

People management practices
Recruitment	defining and advertising jobs effectively to ensure the right people are attracted> screening and selection to ensure job fit for motivation, skills, capabilities, expectations and interests establishing expectations during induction and orientation.
Performance management	developing a performance culture through regular ongoing feedback and focusing on those characteristics known to motivate performance.
Learning and development	building on skills and capabilities through meaningful training and development opportunities which supports employees to feel competent and confident in their jobs.
Job design	providing employees with varied and meaningful tasks which show clear links to the contribution to organisational goals.

Due to the nature of work, some agencies, or sections of agencies may be restricted in their capacity to address these issues. For example, client service areas and regional areas tend to be characterised by limited mobility and flexibility in job design. The focus in these areas should be on effective recruitment and management practices that create an open and supportive environment.

Investing in good people management practices can overcome a range of issues which manifest as high absenteeism, turnover and low performance.

 

51 This model includes elements drawn from Steers & Rhodes, 1978, p. 393

52 Bennett, 2002, p. 436

53 Employers Organisation, 2003, Local Government Sickness Absence Management Survey 2003, http://www.lge.gov.uk/our_work/publications/documents/lgsam.doc, p. 5

54 See Turned Up and Tuned In: A Line Manager’s Guide to Maximising Staff Attendance

55 Wellins et al, 2005, p.5

56 Wellins et al, 2005, p.5

57 Wellins et al, 2005, p. 21

58 Robinson, D., Perryman, S & Hayday, S. The Drivers of Employee Engagement, IES Research Networks, accessed on line 30 November 2005, http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/summary/summary/php?id=408, p. 5

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