Managing Staff Sickness

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The key to managing successfully is to have effective contingency plans. Since important projects are always in process and there are deadlines to meet, the work must be done despite absenteeism. This can be easier to achieve if a backup plan is implemented in which important projects are assigned to other employees in case of an absence.

In order to make sure that the work of those staff members on sick leaves is being managed correctly, there are three things a manager can do.

Encourage Open Communication

Ensure that your employees feel comfortable sharing that they might not be able to come in because they’re under the weather with you proactively. Discouraging leaves results in sick leaves being informed of at the last minute.

Knowing an employee might not make it work the night before will help you plan for success.

Getting a Return Date

An employee can be absent because of sickness for a couple of days or even a few weeks. Not knowing when they’ll be back makes it difficult for managers to manage the workload of the absent employee. In order to get some control over the projects and deadlines, the manager should reach out to the absent employee and ask for a return date. By receiving a possible return date, it will be easier for the manager to assign work and tasks with surety.

Preventive Measures

Sometimes, an employee will feel the need to come into work despite sickness. Work responsibility is one thing, but the thing to keep in mind is that sickness is contagious and one sick employee can result in an entire sick team.

Nip the problem in the bud by asking an employee that doesn’t look well to take a sick day. Encourage the employee to take meds, get well soon, and then report back to work.

All in all, managing staff sickness isn’t difficult if you are given a heads up on time, know when the employee will be back, and if you’re not dealing with too many sick employees at a time.

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About ActionCOACH

Brad Sugars founded the brand Action International in 1993 when he realized there was a disconnect between business advice and implementation. The answer was Action! Brad Sugars created a business coaching company so that business owners throughout the world can realize their goals in business. Today the company is known as ActionCOACH. To learn more about business, visit Brad Sugars Review blog!