Tackling Employee Absence – Voice-based Absence Capture Software
Employee absenteeism costs British business millions of pounds every year.
A recent survey undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD) found that in absence management the average number of sick days taken by employees each year is 8, and the average cost of absence per employee per year is currently at a staggering £666. Employee absence is a serious issue that all businesses must address, else risk high (and growing) costs and reduced production.
Numerous sources state that the most effective measure that can be taken when trying to reduce employee absence is early intervention. The process of managing underlying personal or medical issues and conducting return to work interviews has been proven to reduce the average number of sick days taken by employees. However, with ever-increasing time pressures on HR and line management, there is often a lack of management information, reporting and co-ordination – and consequently these processes are not adhered to.
Automating Absence
To solve this problem, Computers In Personnel now supply a solution called Ciphr Absence Manager – an intelligent voice-based absence capture and management solution that helps an organisation record and manage employee absence information across their business. Rather than contact HR or their line manager, employees can simply dial a designated land-line phone number, and inform the system of the nature of their sickness and anticipated return to work date. The system automatically captures information and immediately sends it to the relevant individuals that ‘need to know’. This ensures an immediate and accurate capture of absence on ‘Day 1’. If an employees absence status changes, they can then simply call the same number and provide an automated update.
Tracking Absence Data
Having ensured all employees record absences in a uniform manner, Ciphr Absence Manager also provides the organisation with a web-based interface to set-up, administer and report on absence data. The system itself can be developed in-line with an organisation’s standard sickness and absence reporting processes, ensuring compliance policies are adhered to, and the reporting facilities then allow the HR department and line managers to monitor every aspect of employee interaction with the system – which can also be made visible to management through standard reporting.
A key piece of information that can be raised through these management information reports is the identification of certain illness types. While most illnesses will be short-term, consisting of common colds, flu and stomach upsets – it is critical that the system is able to flag-up more telling absence types, such as musculo-skeletal complaints, which are often an early warning sign of stress – potentially leading to a long-term absence. Early intervention is simply the most effective technique for reducing absence levels within an organisation.
