Other ways to manage absences

In addition to taking out an insurance policy, there are also other ways to manage your staff absences. This includes ways to minimise and prevent absences through occupational health and wellbeing at work schemes, as well as supporting staff as they return to work after an absence, thereby shortening the length of the absence.

Pre-placement checks
When you are looking to hire new staff it may be worth asking them to conduct some pre-employment activities. Psychometric testing may reveal information about staff members relevant to their mental health, such as levels of stress. Similarly, pre-employment checks will give you the confidence that you are employing teachers who are fit and healthy.

Access to counselling
Absence due to stress and mental health related illnesses are disproportionately high within education. In some instances, these could be prevented by offering staff access to face-to-face counselling or confidential helplines.

Occupational health support
Offering occupational health support or employee assistance programs to your staff may help to reduce absences. This could be anything from ensuring your staff have the appropriate chairs at work, to offering physiotherapy sessions for any aches and pains they may be suffering.

Employee benefits and motivation programs
Statistically, happy, motivated and content employees take up to 66% fewer absence days than unhappy or discontent employees. Therefore, an employee benefits program to boost the morale of your workforce may help you to manage your staff absences.

Reward low absence rates
Some employers offer attendance incentives to reward good attendance records. This needs careful consideration so as not to disadvantage pregnancy or disability related absences, but can also help to minimise staff absence.