Dear Denise – Your HR Agony Aunt | Edition 1: The Sick-Day Spiral

At BeyondHR, we know that managing people isn’t always straightforward. From sickness absence to performance issues, business owners and managers face a range of tricky HR situations every day.

That’s why we’re introducing Dear Denise, our brand-new HR Agony Aunt column, created for the chamber. Each month, our Senior HR Consultant Denise, who brings almost 20 years of hands-on HR experience, will tackle real-world questions from business leaders just like you. With warmth, honesty, and practical advice, she’s here to help you handle your toughest HR challenges with confidence.

Dear Denise,

I manage a small team and one of my employees has been calling in sick quite a lot recently. Sometimes it’s genuine illness, other times it feels like they’re taking advantage. It’s starting to impact the rest of the team, who have to pick up the slack, and I’m not sure what I can say without seeming unsympathetic. How do I handle this fairly, but firmly?

Frustrated Manager, Glasgow

Dear Frustrated Manager,
You’re not alone, managing sickness absence is one of the trickiest areas for any employer. You want to be compassionate, but you also need to protect your team’s morale and productivity. The key is to stay consistent, fair, and factual.

Here’s how to approach it:

1. Start with a return-to-work conversation.
   When your employee comes back, have an informal chat to see how they’re doing and gently explore any underlying issues. Often, people open up about stress, workload, or personal matters when given a safe space.

2. Keep clear records.
   Track absences, reasons, and dates. Patterns can reveal a lot for example, frequent Monday absences or absences following annual leave. Accurate records will also help if you need to escalate things later.

3. Spot the difference between short-term and long-term sickness.
   • Short-term: Frequent, intermittent absences that may indicate an attendance issue or disengagement.
   • Long-term: One continuous period of absence that may require more structured support (e.g. medical reports, reasonable adjustments).

4. Set clear expectations.
   Remind the employee of your company’s sickness absence policy, including reporting procedures and what support is available. Often, a simple reset helps people realise the impact of their behaviour.

5. Show empathy but balance it with accountability.
   If there are genuine health issues, explore ways to support them (like flexible working or temporary adjustments). If not, and the pattern continues, you may need to move into a formal process.

6. Don’t ignore the rest of the team.
   Thank those who’ve been covering. Unchecked absence can quickly breed resentment, so keep communication open and fair.

Finally, remember you don’t have to tackle this alone. At BeyondHR, we help employers navigate tricky absence cases every week, from casual sickness issues to long-term health concerns. We can guide you through each step to ensure you’re both compassionate and compliant.

Warm regards,
Denise
Your HR Agony Aunt at BeyondHR

Have an HR dilemma you’d like Denise to answer?

We’d love to hear from you! Email your question to denise@wegobeyondhr.com and it could be featured in our next Dear Denise column on the BeyondHR blog.

All information will, of course, remain anonymous. However, if you’d prefer a private conversation about your HR challenge, call us today on 0800 100 1410 our team is here to help.