Sick-leave abuse is a headache for HR, but whose fault is it—the employees who take too much leave or the employer's policies that may be allowing it? It might be both.
Either way, sick-leave abuse needs to be straightened out fast, but be on the lookout for legitimate, protected reasons for leave.
Review leave policies regularly, said Amy Casciotti, vice president of human resources at TechSmith Corp. in East Lansing, Mich. "You want to make sure that what your policy says is what you are expecting," she said. If updates are needed, make and share them with staff. Train managers on how to have conversations around leave and performance.
"It is imperative that abuse of leave be addressed quickly and effectively," she said. "Sick-leave abuse can have a negative impact on the organization with decreased morale, decreased performance and increased workloads on other employees."
An employer should get ahead of the problem as soon as it is recognized before it becomes an issue for the company, Casciotti said. "An employee who is continuing to abuse leave policies is most likely not performing and [is] having a negative impact on other employees and their motivation."
Signs and Causes of Sick-Leave Abuse
Signs of leave abuse include an unusually large number of sick days without an obvious legitimate justification, regularly taking sick days in a way that extends the weekend and taking sick days when there are no apparent symptoms of illness, such as sneezing or coughing, said...
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