What is absenteeism?
Absenteeism refers to the situation where an employee is absent from work when he or she should normally be present. This can happen for various reasons, such as illness, injuries, medical appointments, unplanned events, or other personal reasons.
Absenteeism can be either short-term (a day or a few days, for example) or long-term, and it often affects the productivity and functioning of an organization. What is short term absenteeism? Short-term absenteeism refers to absence from work for a relatively short period of time, usually for a day or a few days, due to illness, doctor visits, personal appointments, or other short unplanned events, for example.
What does a case manager do in absenteeism?
An absenteeism case manager is essential for managing the absenteeism process within an organization. They supervise sick employees, communicate with healthcare providers, draw up reintegration plans, coordinate reintegration activities and monitor the absenteeism process. Their role is crucial in supporting employees during their absenteeism period and promoting a successful return to work.
A case manager can also look holistic. This means that, in addition to an employee’s health, the case manager can also look at environmental factors. In this way, a case manager can ensure that an employee gets better, but also ensure that the team where the employee works better to proactively reduce absenteeism.
What is frequent absenteeism?
Frequent absenteeism refers to the repeated absence of an employee due to short periods of illness or occasional leave. It may indicate underlying health issues, lack of motivation, or other personal or professional challenges. That is why it is also important not only to look at the clinical picture, but also to see how the organization can develop to reduce absenteeism.
To do this, it can help to measure environmental factors that contribute to absenteeism. For example, if the team dynamic is not comfortable, someone is more likely to call in sick. This is often overlooked, so that absenteeism is and remains high.
What is legal absenteeism?
From a legal point of view, default means failure to fulfil contractual obligations within the agreed period. This becomes particularly relevant when a party receives a “notice of default”, formally stating that it has not fulfilled its agreements and is given a final period of time to meet its obligations. After this period, the party is ‘in default’.
In the case of absenteeism due to illness, this is different. Absenteeism is not a breach of contract.
