Absenteeism in the salon

As a salon owner you have to accept that staff will be unwell and will need to take time off sick. However, you will also all be aware of the nightmare when a stylist, with a full column, rings up 30 minutes before her first client saying that she’s not coming in as she has a ‘cold’. The absence is costly in terms of lost income, the time spent contacting clients and the risk that they could go elsewhere, but where do you stand an employer? David Wright, who advises Habia and a range of salons on their legal issues, looks at issues relating to short term absenteeism. Can I take disciplinary action against a member of staff who is persistently absent with minor ailments? You can. You are not disputing the genuineness of their illness, but their capability to do their job when they are regularly off sick. It is important that you meet with the employee and try to get to the bottom of the reason for their poor attendance. If there is not a positive response and absences continue then disciplinary action would be appropriate. Can I contact employees at home when they are off sick? There are a number of reasonable reasons why you might wish to do this:

• To check on progress and a possible back-to-work date
• As a good employer it would be reasonable to ring to check to see if there is any support you might be able to give.

How many absences in a year are reasonable? There is no magic number but typically five absences in a year would be cause for concern. Of course, in discussion with your employee you would wish to ensure they were not suffering from any underlying medical complaint. A receptionist has now been absent on eight occasions in the past 12 months. I have arranged to meet her. What am I allowed to say to her? This sounds like a counselling interview. It is really the last opportunity, prior to a disciplinary hearing, to try to stop the problem. You can reasonably ask if there are any problems at work or away from work that are causing the absences. You might also suggest they visit their GP if this is appropriate, as they might have an underlying problem. Equally though, you must highlight the implications of her absences on your business. Finally, agree a review period for the attendance to improve. Ensure your receptionist knows that if it doesn’t, the next stage will be the disciplinary procedure. I have noticed that a stylist’s absences seem to be linked to his girlfriend’s shift patterns. Can I raise this with him? While there is a need for some sensitivity, when employers notice any sort of pattern of absences these must be highlighted when you meet the employee. For example: “I note most of your absences occur on a Saturday” compared to: “I note most of your absences occur on your girlfriend’s day off”. I suspect one of my staff is taking an occasional day off sick and working elsewhere. What can I do? You could mention your suspicions, which might at least stop the problem. Alternatively, if you know where the employee is working there is no reason why you should not visit the location and confront them. Working while claiming to be sick would constitute gross misconduct. After following your disciplinary procedure, it would be dismissal. While I have a few problems with absenteeism, some staff are very diligent and achieve 100% attendance. How might I reward them? I know of some salons where staff with 100% attendance are given an additional day’s holiday. I think this makes good business sense. In theory, the incentive might motivate some of your poorer attendees, but remember after the first absence in the year the incentive is gone. One of my staff has two young children and regularly rings in with ‘childcare problems’ and misses work. I have been sympathetic to her problem, but do I have to accept it indefinitely? Not really. Staff have a right to emergency time off to deal with childcare crisis; it is not for long-term issues but to address the crisis, and would normally be only one day. Most employers attempt to handle requests sympathetically. However, the requests need to be balanced against the needs of your salon. The bottom line is you need her at work and she needs to sort out effective childcare, so warn her that the frequency of ‘childcare problems’ cannot continue. You could discuss reducing her hours or working more flexibly, but she needs to agree an action plan to eliminate the problem.

Tips For Improving Attendance

• Emphasise the importance of good attendance from day one
• Have return-to-work interviews with employees with every absence. This will highlight how important you consider the issue
• Make sure absence levels are mentioned at staff meetings and don’t forget to thank staff for good attendance at the end of each year
• Ask references to confirm how many absences the applicant has had in the past 12 months. This might affect your selection decision.