Winter workplace sickness: Advice for businesses

“In the midst of winter months, employee illness and absence is likely to increase. If this season tends to be a busy period for you, then you need to be doing what you can to make sure any absences don’t result in a drop in productivity. And there are lots of ways you can look after your staff and business during the colder months.

A clear absence policy is an effective way to manage winter-time sickness. Not only does it get everything in writing, but it also clearly outlines the processes employees should be following – which minimises any instances where employees may be taking advantage of the business. Including return-to-work interviews is a good idea. They’ve been proven to reduce absences caused by illness, and they’re an effective method of discovering if your employees have any issues they need support with. From here, you can go about making the necessary adjustments – like adjusting their hours or letting them work from home – so the issue can be rectified.

Be sure to promote healthier lifestyle decisions around the workplace as well. When they’re eating right and exercising well, you’ll reduce the risk of employees becoming sick entirely. Educating on the benefits of vitamin D supplements, for instance, could well stop them from falling ill. Offering discounts on gym memberships and apps such as Headspace can help to keep the mental effects of the winter period at bay too.

Absence management software is worth investing in too. Tools like this let you track sick days and attendance levels, arrange for cover if you’re short staffed, update senior staff or managers, and receive push notifications so you can remember to check in on recovering employees.”