Hazel’s Cold Open On Absence

Right, Hazel is currently lying on the office floor absolutely exhausted. Now, to be fair, she has had a very busy morning. She barked at the postman twice, and then ate a biscuit. So naturally she's written herself off for the rest of the day. And honestly, if some employees had Hazel's work ethic, we'd be having a very different conversation. But instead, you've got someone off sick again. And it's always just a bit convenient. It's never the random Tuesday when it's quiet, is it? It's never the day you've got loads of cover. It's Friday. Or it's the day after payday. Or it's the day they're rostered with the manager they don't like. And you're sat there thinking, I'm not accusing anyone. But come on. Kettle on, let's talk about it. Hello and welcome back to Buzzing About HR. I'm Kate, your Carmina Crisis Occasional Reality Check. And today we are talking sickness absence. But not the fluffy policy version where it all sounds neat and everyone follows the rules and nobody messages at 6.58 a.m. saying can't come in and then disappears until tomorrow. We're talking about real small business sickness absence. The situations where you're sat there thinking, something's not quite adding up, but I don't know what I'm allowed to say. And with the Employment Rights Act changes coming in, this is about to get, shall we say, more interesting. Because the risk for SMEs isn't usually the sickness, it's the patterns, the inconsistency, the silence, and the team watching you do nothing and thinking, oh, so the rules don't apply to everyone. So today I'm going to give you a practical way to handle this properly, without being harsh, without being daft, and without accidentally creating a bigger problem. The Hive Brief. You thought it, every business owner has. Are they actually sick? Or is this taking the mick? There, I said it. Because most absence issues in SMEs aren't long-term illness, they're patterns. And patterns make people uncomfortable because you don't want to. Get it wrong. Upset someone. Seem unsympathetic. Trigger a grievance or end up saying something clumsy that lands you in discrimination territory. So what do most managers do? They say nothing. They wait. They hope it stops. They quietly get more and more annoyed. They pick up the slack themselves. They mutter into their tea, and they tell themselves, I'll deal with it if it gets worse. And that is where it starts to unravel. Because silence doesn't make the problem go away. Silence just lets it grow legs. And worse, silence teaches the team. Turning up is optional, depending on who you are. The sting. Right, let's talk about the classic patterns, and I want you to be honest with yourself while you listen. Because you will recognise at least one. The Friday specialist, always unwell on Friday, miraculously fine on Monday. The just after payday disappearance. Paid on Friday. Sick on Monday. Interesting. The final week, sick on their shift with that manager. Which might be dodgy. Or it might tell you something about that manager. The holiday flu expert. Sick the day before or after annual eve. Every time, light clockwork. The Instagram contradiction. Too unwell to work. But well enough for bottomless brunch and a boomerang of a cocktail. Iconic. Unhelpful. Now important bit a pattern is not proof. A pattern is a signal. And your job is not to ignore signals. Your job is to explore them properly. Because if you don't, two things happen. One, the pattern usually continues because nobody has challenged it. Two. They're the ones who stay late. They're the ones who get on with it. And then they start thinking, why am I bothering? What do I get for turning up? That's when your best people switch off. Not with a tantrum. Quietly. And quietly is dangerous. Now let's layer in what's coming. Because this is why it matters even more now. With the Employment Rights Act changes, you're dealing with day one rights, earlier expectations, and more employees willing to challenge decisions. So that we'll just see how it goes approach. It won't cut it. Because issues that used to surface at six months or two years are now showing up at week two. No warm-up period, no settling in, straight in. And if you don't have a process, you're basically improvising under pressure, which is when people say the wrong thing. Now, the biggest mistake I see with sickness absence is a big one. Avoiding the conversation. Managers say, I didn't want to make it awkward. I thought it might sort itself out. I didn't want to seem like I didn't trust them. And I understand that. Most managers are decent humans. They don't want to be unfair. But while you're avoiding an awkward conversation, the rest of the team is thinking, why do I bother turning up? And now you've got resentment, inconsistency, and a bigger problem brewing. All because nobody had one calm conversation early. So what can you actually say without making it a drama? Here's the simple process. And I want you to hear this. You can absolutely address patterns without accusing someone of faking sickness. The secret is you talk about attendance and impact, not motive. Step one notice the pattern. Not judge it, not label it, just notice it. Not they're always off. But I can see a pattern and I need to understand it. Step two write it down. Dates times frequency. Not this happens all the time. But three Fridays in the last five weeks. That is the difference between opinion and evidence. And when you go into a meeting with evidence, you stay calmer. You don't go in with frustration and vibes. You go in with facts. Step three Return to work. Chat every time. Yes, every time. This is the simplest thing you can do that prevents chaos. Not all right, your back crack on. But how are you feeling now? Is everything okay? Is there anything we should be aware of? I've noticed a few absences recently. Is there anything contributing to that? Keep it calm. Keep it neutral. Keep it human. This is not an interrogation. This is you doing your job properly. And the more consistent you are, the less personal it feels. Step four. Stay curious. You're not saying I don't believe you. You're saying I want to understand what's going on. That's a different conversation. Sometimes the answer is genuinely useful. It might be I'm struggling with sleep. I've got anxiety. I've got childcare issues. I'm dealing with something at home. I'm under pressure. I'm having migraines. I didn't want to say anything. You can't support what you don't know. Step five. Be consistent. Same process. Every person. Because the fastest way to land yourself in trouble is treating people differently. If one employee gets questioned and another doesn't, people will assume bias. Even if you didn't mean it. Now here's the plot twist. Sometimes there is a genuine reason. Stress, health issues, something outside work. A condition they've never disclosed because they're embarrassed. And if you go in heavy, you damage trust. That's why your approach matters more than your suspicion. You're not there to catch them out. You're there to manage attendance fairly and keep the business running. Legal angel. Quick reality check, no waffle. Sickness absence is tricky because it overlaps with fairness, evidence, and protected characteristics. You don't need to become a legal expert, but you do need to be careful with assumptions. A pattern can still be genuine. And some absences may be linked to disability, pregnancy, mental health, or another protected issue. So what keeps you safe? A consistent process, a reasonable approach, clear records, and focusing on attendance and impact. Not judgment, not accusations, not I saw your Instagram. And yes, you can look at triggers and patterns. That's normal, but you handle it properly. And if it becomes a capability issue, you follow a capability process, not a punishment process. Small business actions Let's get practical. Here's what I'd tighten up in a small business immediately. One. Clear absence reporting rules. Who do they contact? By what time? Phone call or text? What do they need to say? When do they need a fit note? If you don't set this, you get chaos. People texting whoever they fancy. Messages lost. Managers not sure what's going on. Two. Follow up calls. Not constant checking. Not prove you're sick. A simple check-in from the manager when appropriate. Just checking you're okay and to understand if there's anything we can do. Let me know if you're likely to be back tomorrow. This isn't nosy. It's management. Three Return to work chats every time. Short, calm, consistent, and record the basics. Date, reason given, any support needed. Next step. four Trigger Points. So you're not making it up as you go along. It can be simple. For example, X absences in Y weeks or a pattern like repeated Mondays slash Fridays or repeated short term absences. The point isn't to punish. The point is to spot patterns early and support properly. Five One Record Not WhatsApp, not Scribbles, not I'll remember. One system, one place, one truth. Because when you don't record, you end up with I'm sure we spoke about this and the employee says we didn't. And then you've got nothing. Six. Train managers on what to say. Most managers aren't scared of absence, they're scared of the conversation. So give them a script. That alone reduces half the mess. This week's challenge pick one thing, one, either introduce return to work chats for every absence, or set a simple absence reporting rule and put it in writing. Or start tracking patterns properly so you're dealing with facts, not frustration. Or identify one employee with a pattern and plan a calm, supportive conversation. Small changes, massive reduction in drama. Hazel, for the record, has made a full recovery. She's just heard a crisp packet open and is suddenly absolutely fine. Miraculous. If only it was that easy in the workplace. But here's the thing sickness absence is normal. Patterns are common. And good management is simply dealing with it early, calmly, and consistently. Kettle on. Conversations had, standards up.