What would happen if England wins the World Cup? We are just a few days away from the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Even surrounded by criticism, tested loyalties and national teams taking a stand on different issues. This World Cup has brought together the whole world, whether or not you are a […]

“THERE MUST BE SOMETHING BETTER OUT THERE” “We looked at other systems that were available and obviously Honeydew appealed to us the most at the time and we stayed since – and it has proved its worth.” Portesbery School provides schooling and support for children and young people with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), sensory impairments, […]

“WE NOW HAVE ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH” Infinis is the UK’s leading renewable energy company and prides itself on being one of the few companies leading the charge to make a positive impact on climate change. Infinis is headquartered in Northampton and employs around 300 staff across 150+ UK sites. 65% of the workforce are […]

Throughout the pandemic, the uncertainty and worries have heightened the mental health issues everyone has to deal with in their daily lives. On 9th February, Boris Johnson announced that the last Covid isolation rule could be scrapped a month early. That would mean we’ll be back to ‘normal’ life, in terms of work and socialising, […]

I am going to be bold enough to assume that no absence policy was ever written with a global pandemic in mind. Until now. At the time of writing this, we are still in the midst of the chaos caused by Covid-19. The disease has been with us for nearly two years and the situation […]

Your absence policy should be a blueprint for managers to follow but not so rigid that there is no space for discretion. Discretion doesn’t mean that managers should be able to pick and choose when to implement the policy. Quite the opposite, meetings and discussions should be held on all occasions.

Even though Christmas is a time of celebration, it can be a difficult time for many. Rehab4Addiction have put together this useful infographic about the scale of negative mental health issues faced by some people in the UK during this time of year. Read the infographoc for some tips on how to cope better this […]

28 calendar days is a common definition of long-term absence. There’s nothing wrong with this definition in itself. However, waiting 4 weeks to offer support or consider referral to support services is a missed opportunity. This often means that medical appointments don’t take place until the 6th or 7th week of the absence. It also […]

Under UK law, employees can self-certificate for the first 7 days of a sickness absence. After 7 calendar days they need to get a fit note from a doctor. The 1-week rule applies to everyone, regardless of how many days per week they normally work. The fit note is essentially a legal document that entitles […]

Absence costs are made up of a lot of parts you may not have considered. The direct costs are perhaps more obvious, but are you aware of everything that makes up the indirect cost of absence?