Tag Archives: absenteeism

HR, HR News, News

Disciplinary delays draining employer time and resources

Despite disciplinary actions in the workplace taking one month or more to complete, new research by employment law and HR consultancy firm, WorkNest, reveals that 18% of employers experience matters dragging on for longer than three months.

The survey of 356 employers found that mounting delays in increasingly complex disciplinary processes are causing a significant drain on organisations’ time and resources.

The research shows that the leading cause of a protracted disciplinary process is an employee taking sick leave due to stress and anxiety, with almost a quarter (23%) of employers questioned citing this as the most common cause of delays.

Lack of available staff to deal with such matters is also given as a reason for setbacks by almost one in five employers (19%).

A huge concern for employers

Disciplinary matters are the most common type of issue that the WorkNest employment law team supports clients with. Its experts dealt with over 100,000 related queries in 2023.

Disciplinaries can be a source of significant stress, not only for employees, but also for employers taking action, with worries over the potential legal ramifications. The WorkNest research found that almost six in 10 employers’ (58%) greatest concern is making a legal mistake when handling a disciplinary matter.

Employer apprehension

The research also points to a lack of confidence amongst employers when navigating disciplinary situations. Just 37% are ‘fully confident’ handling disciplinaries effectively, while almost one in 10 (9%) described themselves as ‘not confident’.

Considering the average award for an unfair dismissal claim in the UK, before legal costs, topped £11,914 in 2022/23, , it is no wonder that fear of financial and legal repercussions can deter employers from taking disciplinary action, even when it is warranted.

Pete Sewell, Employment Law Adviser and Solicitor at WorkNest, said: “In an ideal world, disciplinaries should be straightforward.  Whilst in some cases, a longer process is justified, our research shows that all too often, employers are finding themselves ensnared in protracted processes that suck up valuable time and resources, whilst causing stress for employees and employers alike.

“It’s not surprising that employers are nervous about legal missteps. If an employer is perceived as treating an employee unfairly during a disciplinary process, it can be grounds for legal action. Clear policies, training and access to proper legal guidance are essential to minimising these risks and ensuring disciplinary situations are handled consistently, compliantly and with confidence.”

Common causes for disciplinaries

According to the research, the top three reasons an employer takes disciplinary action against an employee are:

  1. Absenteeism (36%) – including excessive short-term absences, timekeeping challenges and employees going AWOL.
  2. Poor performance (30%) – including repeated errors, unmet targets, subpar quality of work.
  3. Poor conduct (21%) – including rudeness, lack of teamwork, failure to follow instructions.

Commenting further on the research, Pete Sewell added:

“The fact absence tops this list isn’t surprising given the direct impact it has on workplace business operations and morale. We know that absenteeism in the workplace has been on the rise in recent years and our research highlights the critical need to address this issue at its core. This can involve reactively managing issues when they arise, cultivating a supportive work environment, implementing wellness initiatives and nurturing transparent communication channels, thereby mitigating the necessity for lengthy formal action.”

Deciding the best course of action

Pete continues: “It is disconcerting to see that almost a third of employers are disciplining employees for poor performance and we would caution against this. In truth, the disciplinary process should be reserved for cases of poor conduct only.  Different methods to tackle absenteeism and performance issues such as performance management procedures or separating out issues within a disciplinary process can often lead to a better outcome for all involved. This is a complex area, which even the most experienced managers and HR professionals grapple with. The overriding message is, if in doubt, seek advice.”

In light of the findings, a free-to-attend webinar from WorkNest presented by Kirstie Smith and Pete Sewell on why handling disciplinaries are such a burden on employers and how to manage the process better will take place on 8 February at 14:00 pm. Register here now.

 

Absence Management, Awards, HR, HR News, News

ToHealth wins national accolade for new DNA and epigenetics testing venture

A new health screening venture aimed at improving employee wellbeing and reducing workplace absenteeism has won a national accolade.

The DNA and epigenetics testing service launched earlier this year by ToHealth, a division of preventative healthcare specialist PAM Group, was named Wellbeing Initiative of the Year at the Workplace Savings and Benefits Awards.

The awards, now in their 10th year, recognise employer and provider excellence. This year’s ceremony took place at the Marriott Grosvenor Square in London.

ToHealth’s DNA and epigenetics testing is carried out using one saliva sample, from which 1,000 types of DNA are analysed.

The results show whether a person is prone to developing a host of health conditions, such as diabetes, and how they can tailor their lifestyle to lower their risk as well as their biological age.

A person’s DNA holds the essential information about their development, function and growth, and cannot be changed. Epigenetics, however, adds another layer of information, enabling a person to identify how their lifestyle and environment impact the way their genes work, which can increase the risk of illness.

Each test result provided by ToHealth comes with personalised recommendations to support individuals with potential risk areas, including gut and heart health, immunity, injury risk and mental health. All of these help people to understand their biological age versus their chronological age.

The hyper-personalised genetic information and recommendations are accessible via an app, giving individuals an advanced insight into their health at the touch of a button and empowering them to improve their wellbeing and stave off the threat of disease, helping in turn to reduce workplace absenteeism.

ToHealth managing director Kerry-Dene Ihlenfeldt said: “We are passionate about empowering employees to thrive in the workplace. To be recognised with this award gives great kudos to our amazing team for their tireless work, and to our clients for their willingness to trust us to deliver services that improve the wellbeing of their employees.

“We work in partnership with our clients to ensure we offer a tailored and robust service that enables colleagues to perform at their best. Increasingly, businesses and organisations are focused on finding ways to improve the health and wellbeing of their workforce, and understand that prevention is better than cure.

“Our DNA and epigenetics screening provides a personalised and proactive health solution that enables employees to manage their own physical and mental wellbeing, reduce the risk of disease and improve longevity.

“Through testing, an employee can learn how to play the cards they have been dealt to their advantage, how their behaviours and their environment impact on them, and what lifestyle changes they need to make.

“We have an industry-leading offering which makes a tangible and positive difference, and we are immensely proud that this has been reflected with this prestigious national honour.”

ToHealth is partnering with testing company Muhdo for the offering.

The accolade is the latest for Warrington-based PAM Group, one of the largest occupational health, employee assistance and wellbeing providers in the UK. It offers a range of integrated services to public and private sector clients, supporting more than a million employees at over 1,000 businesses and organisations.

Health, News, North of England, Science

PAM Group accelerates growth for ToHealth division with new DNA and epigenetic tests

A series of tests which show whether a person is prone to developing a host of health conditions including diabetes and cancer, and how they can tailor their lifestyle to lower their risk, are being launched by preventative healthcare specialist PAM Group to accelerate growth for its ToHealth division.

They are the latest addition to Warrington-headquartered PAM Group’s offering and follow the backing it received from private equity firm LDC last year to support its expansion and the launch of new products and services.

ToHealth’s DNA and Epigenetic tests analyse 1,000 types of DNA from one saliva sample.

An individual’s DNA holds the essential information to their development, function and growth and cannot be changed. Epigenetics adds another layer of information, enabling a person to identify how their lifestyle and environment impacts the way their genes work, which can raise the risk of illness.

Each test result comes with a personalised insight into an individual’s state of health and can reveal a wide range of potential risk areas. These include immunity risk, response to stress, biological age and the risk of developing hidden conditions such as diabetes, cancer, stroke, hypertension and coronary heart disease.

The genetic information and insights are accessible via an app which aims to help individuals tailor their lifestyle to improve their wellbeing and stave off the threat of disease, helping to reduce workplace absenteeism.

The new service for ToHealth’s corporate clients forms part of its employee wellbeing offering and will be a key driver for expansion as it targets revenues of £9m this year, up from £5m in 2021.

ToHealth managing director Kerry-Dene Ihlenfeldt said: “As a business, we don’t stand still. We continuously seek innovative solutions to positively impact the health and wellbeing of our clients’ employees.

“Epigenetics strengthens our position at the forefront of proactive and preventative health screening, and our investment in these new tests provides us with a significant opportunity to further accelerate our growth.

“They complement our existing offering and enable individuals to take control of their health and lifestyle through a hyper-personalised analysis of the test results.”

She added: “We know that a large proportion of workplace absenteeism is caused by stress, anxiety or depression, and that most cases involve lifestyle issues such as inactivity, a poor diet or being overweight. The underlying issues are often the same as those for cardiac problems, diabetes and cancer.

“The pandemic has thrust employee health and wellbeing into the spotlight. Our recent research shows that most employees feel that support in this area from their employer would make them less likely to want to move jobs, but that employers are missing valuable opportunities to stop their people getting sick in the first place.

“We have also found that 40 per cent of people value wellbeing advice based on personalised data and are more confident in digital health solutions.

“Taking these factors into consideration, we believe that there is significant demand for our new tests.”

Kerry added: “Employers will benefit from the test outcomes, as reduced absenteeism will boost efficiency, productivity and employee satisfaction, leading to an improved business performance.

“We will through extensive investment in our data strategy provide clients with access to real-time employee health insights, enabling them to gain a holistic view of the health and wellbeing of their workforce and to effectively respond to changes by making data-driven business decisions.”

ToHealth is partnering with testing company Muhdo for the new offering.

PAM Group is one of the largest occupational health, employee assistance and wellbeing providers in the UK. It offers a range of integrated services to public and private sector clients, supporting more than a million employees at over 1,000 businesses and organisations.

The group is looking to double turnover to £80m over the next few years through continued organic growth and acquisitions.