{"id":9160,"date":"2022-05-31T06:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T06:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?post_type=resources&p=9160"},"modified":"2026-07-03T13:23:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:23:29","slug":"hybrid-working-and-sickness-absence-management","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/hybrid-working-and-sickness-absence-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical tips for managing sickness in hybrid working"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Written by: <\/p>\n\n\n

Stephen Simpson<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Share<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Employers that are operating under a hybrid working model must ensure that their sickness absence management procedures sit comfortably alongside their new working arrangements. We set out five steps that hybrid working organisations can take to ensure that sickness absence management continues to be effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Encourage employees to take sick leave when genuinely ill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The mere fact of not being present in the workplace on certain days has changed many employees’ attitude to sickness absence. There may be times when they are feeling too unwell to commute but feeling well enough to work at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that employers need to adapt their approach, reviewing their policies and setting some clear guidelines for hybrid workers. The most important message for employers to get across is that employees should not work unless they feel able to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Line managers should be warned not encourage, or turn a blind eye to, staff carrying on working from home when they should be off sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach reduces the risk of burnout from employees if they are encouraged to believe that homeworking precludes taking sick leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Podcast: Sickness absence management and hybrid working<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In our podcast on sickness absence management and hybrid working<\/a>, we talk about how employers that are operating under a hybrid working model must ensure that their sickness absence management procedures work. We also present the findings of our latest sickness absence rates survey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Enforce sickness absence reporting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Line managers and employees should be reminded that the organisation’s usual sickness absence reporting procedure still applies, even if they are sick on a day on which they would normally be working from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical sickness absence reporting procedure involves employees being required to notify their line manager of their ill health as soon as reasonably practical, preferably before they are due to start work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some employers will accept notification via email, text or Teams message. However, many employers will require employees to speak directly to their line manager, who needs to handle the communication sensitively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, some employees may not want to go on camera while they are ill at home and line managers need to respect their privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If sickness absence continues beyond one day, the employer may require the employee to check in on each day of absence, or at least every couple of days after the first day of absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the employee’s absence becomes long term, which is often defined as 28 calendar days or more, it is good practice for the employer to adapt their approach, to avoid daily contact being perceived as intimidating by the employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The line manager could have a discussion with the employee to agree a regular pattern of contact, remembering that the timing and frequency should be sensitive to the employee’s health needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Absence rates and costs survey 2022<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

XpertHR’s benchmarking service<\/a> has the full data<\/a> from all the questions from this survey<\/a>, including absence figures according to organisation size, sector and region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our research finds that coronavirus continued to impact sickness absence rates in 2021, particularly in organisations where working from home is not an option.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Want to make smarter, more-informed decisions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Discourage workplace attendance when ill or infectious<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic has changed how employers should think about risk when it comes to ill or potentially infectious staff attending the workplace. Employers should not expect employees to attend the workplace when they are clearly sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discouraging employees to attend the workplace in these circumstances reduces the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak or the spread of other common illnesses, such as colds and flu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major benefit of operating a hybrid working model is that the employer has the option of agreeing with an employee who is mildly ill but who may still be infectious to work at home at short notice, if the nature of their work allows for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Consider enhancing sick pay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Statutory sick pay (SSP) is no longer automatically payable to someone who misses work purely on the basis that they have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n