Absence management — why does it matter?

Sickness absence is a huge issue for organisations for many reasons. It can lead to increased costs for the business and decreased levels of productivity due to lost working time. High levels of sickness absence could also be an indicator of concerns within the organisation, such as stress-related illness potentially being linked to working environments or poor work/life balance. This in turn can lead to high levels of employee turnover. By proactively managing sickness absence and incorporating it into wider wellbeing programmes, practice management can send a positive message to employees about the culture and how important staff are to the business.