How to Handle Employee Absence with Sandra Grafe

In this episode, guest host Roger Thorpe considers issues related to absence management and ways to better communicate wellness initiatives and benefits to employees.Roger's guest is Sandra Grafe, Manager, Disability Management Services at AGS Rehab Solutions.Sandra has been involved with disability management for the past 15 years from which her vast educational pursuits led her towards human health and wellness, completing two bachelor's degrees in Physical Health and Education (Kinesiology) and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario, respectively.Sandra is a speaker at the Benefits and Wellness Superhero Symposium produced by Thorpe Benefits in partnership with HR Gazette - happening online on April 6 and 7. Questions Include:  What can be some of the effects to a business when large swathes of employees are off sick? What can managers do when large numbers of employees are absent from work due to health issues at the same time?How should managers tackle vague notes of absence and accommodation – requiring extended periods of time?How can leadership improve corporate culture in view of lowering levels of absenteeism? How can we manage an employee who takes a lot of time off, intermittently?Absenteeism has skyrocketed, surpassing hefty HR budgets. Talk to me about the effects.Okay so you’ve managed to get most employees back to work in safe ways but what about presenteeism? More About Sandra Grafe Sandra has shared her knowledge, by speaking at various conferences on managing accommodation in a unionized environment and measuring disability trends for effective preventive programs, with a focus on balancing management and employee needs for positive returns on investment.  Throughout her disability management career, Sandra has upgraded her skillset with certificates in interpersonal communication, business management, Group Benefits Associate (GBA via CEBS), Certified Disability Management Consultant (CDMP via NIDMAR) and is in the process of completing her Occupational Health and Safety certificate. She is also a certified wellness coach. Recently, she completed her Mental Health First Aid Training certification through the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Additional coursework includes project management, psychological health, PTSD, workplace accommodation, arthritis, aging populations, repetitive strain, and fostering positive workplace cultures.   We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast, and Iceni Media Inc.  Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletterCheck out our in-person events