Should you prepare for February absences?
The winter months are tough, particularly in the new year.
With the joy of Christmas firmly behind us, trudging back to work can be difficult.
Add in to the mix seasonal affective disorder, the chaos of coming back from weeks off, illnesses, and maybe even the pressure of new year’s resolutions, and it’s no surprise people struggle.
This is something you should be aware of as a manager, as your employees aren’t robots! They’re people with feelings and they are as susceptible to these factors as anyone else.
The UK is facing an absence epidemic
Then you have to consider the unique state of the country’s health and its effect on productivity and employee absence.
The Institute for Public Policy Research found that an increase in long-term sickness is having a significant impact on economic inactivity, with almost 1 million more workers taking sick leave than pre-pandemic predictions.
In contrast, many EU countries have seen economic activity fall in recent years. Worryingly, the UK is bucking this trend.
It’s in the context of this perfect storm of absence factors that we approach a day dubbed National Sickie Day. The term originated over 20 years ago when it was noticed that the first Monday in February was the most likely day for employees to call in sick.
This year, that falls on February 2nd. These days, it has become something of an unofficial holiday, and some employees have chosen to celebrate it by taking the day off regardless. And that leads us to the crux of this article:
Should you be worried about National Sickie Day?
Perhaps. Despite its reputation, recent data has shown that the first Monday in February only ranked ninth for sickness absences. The top ‘honour’ belongs to a Monday in late January, though it’s unclear whether the 19th or the 26th will be the bigger culprit this year.
While National Sickie Day and other high-absence winter days do see around a 20% increase in absences compared to the average Monday, this isn’t necessarily driven by the unofficial holiday itself.
All the aforementioned factors contribute to this being a naturally high-absence day—a point well made by its proximity to the late-January days that outdo it. The majority of employees are not using National Sickie Day as an excuse to take a free day off work.
Even if some do take the day off, it may be for legitimate reasons, and allowing an absence during a stressful time of year might result in long-term gains when that employee doesn’t come down with something the next week.
How can you plan for it?
Employee scheduling software like Findmyshift makes it easier to reorganise your rota as needed when absences do occur. Having an absence management plan will also stand you in good stead if you do need to arrange cover at short notice. Use reminders and notifications to keep employees informed if times and shifts do change.
Facilitating open communication with your employees is an important part of the process. It might be tempting to mandate that anyone observing National Sickie Day will be in trouble, but how can you realistically police that? Are you going to caution a high-performing employee who might actually be ill just because their absence fell on a made up holiday?
Taking a hard-line stance is unlikely to win you much favour with your staff members. Talk to them about the holiday and its amusing origins.
Encourage them to take time off when they need it. Ideally, they’ll do so before National Sickie Day, and not need the extra time later when you might already be short-staffed.