Managing staff absenteeism

Santia is launching Day One Absence Reporting, a new product for absence management. Santia Consulting has trialled the system itself and says that for every £1 spent, a saving of £5.40 has been made in sickness pay and agency staff fees.

Instead of phoning their line manager on the first day of their absence, employees telephone a qualified Santia advisor who will take their details and provide advice. This may be to remain off work until they have recovered, to see a GP, or to take over the counter medication and return to work the next day.

Employees benefit from a high quality of care and advice as soon as it is required and as all exchanges are recorded, it serves as a deterrent to people who may not genuinely need to take time off. All data is recorded in a system which allows employers to pull together statistics and identify any issues.

"At a time where every penny counts, an effective absentee management system makes business sense," says Lisa Roberts, technical director of Occupational Health for Santia.