8. Sick Leave & Absenteeism: When sick hits the fan

How would you handle an employee that calls in sick after a bad performance review? Or unexpectedly goes on a yoga retreat abroad, while on long-term sick leave? 🤔 Sick (leave) happens 🤒. It's part of being human, and working in HR. So how can we handle absenteeism cases effectively, with kindness and confidence? Join Paul & Flo as they break down this complex area, and share their best tips and tricks to: 💊 Navigate the sick leave regulations maze 💊 Spot the 'yellow flags' - when to intervene? 💊 Rethink how we approach sick days and culture 💊 Best support an employee's recovery and reintegration 💊 Work smarter with the wider sick leave team 💊 Use data to refine absenteeism processes, and target key company issues Packed with tons of practical tips for how to implement these principles in practice, this episode is essential listening for all HR professionals, managers, founders...or really anyone looking to improve the absenteeism culture and numbers at work. Chapters 0:00 Before we start... 0:49 About today's topic Data-based processes 1:40 1 in 20 people: The data you can't ignore 3:26 Short vs long-term absence 5:25 Spotting yellow flags: when to intervene 7:33 Rethink sick days & culture 8:38 Complex rules to practical policies Who's who in a sick leave case 10:53 The 'Golden Triangle': Employee, Manager, HR 12:17 The company cost of absence 13:57 What HR can('t) ask? 15:26 Company doctors & Arbo: make them work for you 17:04 Reintegration: Don't rush it! Employee case: "LT absentee is on a yoga retreat abroad!" 18:18 Holiday during sick leave? 20:50 Clear policies are key 22:00 Leading with kindness Employee case: "LT absentee suddenly wants to return before a salary cut!" 23:12 "Suspiciously convenient" timing? 26:08 Creative policies to push the right buttons 27:43 Trust & autonomy wins ❤️ Employee case: Sick after a bad performance review 28:28 Sick after performance review 30:34 A judgement call 31:14 Consultation vs Mediation 32:16 Final takeaways About this podcast Say hello to your favourite new HR podcast! 👋🏻 Join People & Culture professionals Flo & Paul from 7people as they dissect the weird, funny and strange topics they encounter in their day-to-day HR work. Each episode we'll focus on a variety of People-related topics and share our experiences, stories, tips and tricks, inspired by the many fascinating real-life "Have you got 5 minutes?" questions shared by our listeners. Thank you to our friends at Personio for sponsoring this podcast. About 7people 7people is a People and Culture consultancy based in Amsterdam. We're on a mission to create irresistible organizations, by providing practical and creative HR solutions for start-ups, scale-ups and innovative companies all across Europe (and beyond!).