Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

AbsenceFit notesHealth and safetyOccupational HealthSickness absence

Absence triggers still considered useful in cutting sick day numbers

by Personnel Today 21 Nov 2012
by Personnel Today 21 Nov 2012

Line managers still tend to be the “gatekeepers” for absence recording in most organisations, latest research has argued.

The study of the use of triggers in managing absence carried out by XpertHR, Occupational Health’s sister resource, polled 237 employers and found that just 44% set collective targets for absence levels – yet eight organisations out of 10 also believe having them in place has been successful in managing absence.

Public-sector organisations were the most likely to set targets (69%), compared with private-sector-services companies (30%) and the manufacturing and production sector (61%).

Absence triggers used in attendance management procedures were more likely to result in employers beginning a dialogue with employees than resorting to punitive actions, such as disciplinary procedures or even dismissal.

Eight employers out of 10 polled used absence triggers as part of their attendance management system, and only one in 10 did not believe their organisation used the triggers effectively.

Triggers were most likely to be based on the number of absences taken by an employee (used by 75%), with exactly one in five using the Bradford formula.

Smaller organisations were the least likely to use absence triggers, with two-thirds (66%) of employers with fewer than 250 employees using them, far fewer than those with between 250 and 999 employees (88%) or those employing 1,000 or more (also 88%).

Most of the HR respondents in organisations that used triggers believed they were using them effectively. One in four believed triggers had been “very successful” in helping the organisation manage absence. A further 65% said they had been “fairly successful”.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The research also cited the example of a large local council with 6,000 employees that had introduced revised trigger points in April 2010, at which point the average total days lost through sickness absence was 11.6 days. The following year this had reduced to 7.4 days.

However, 7% of the respondents to the poll said triggers have no impact and 3% believe they had been “fairly unsuccessful”.

Personnel Today

previous post
Government invites employers to bid for training funds
next post
Court of Appeal says unfair dismissal complies with human rights rules

You may also like

How to manage workplace investigations effectively

5 Sep 2025

Director with cancer treated unfairly over pay, rules...

5 Sep 2025

Connect to Work scheme to benefit 15 areas...

4 Sep 2025

Working with pesticides linked to higher risk of...

4 Sep 2025

Third of employees ‘anxious’ about lack of workplace...

3 Sep 2025

Top 10 HR questions August 2025: Conduct outside...

2 Sep 2025

Personnel Today Awards 2025 shortlist: Health and wellbeing

2 Sep 2025

Four-day working week trial in Scotland’s public sector...

29 Aug 2025

Café worker awarded £22k after being too cold...

26 Aug 2025

Workers need more protection from heatwaves, says WHO

22 Aug 2025

  • Work smart – stay well: Avoid unnecessary pain with centred ergonomics SPONSORED | If you often notice...Read more
  • Elevate your L&D strategy at the World of Learning 2025 SPONSORED | This October...Read more
  • How to employ a global workforce from the UK (webinar) WEBINAR | With an unpredictable...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits Live
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise