Let’s be honest—no one loves talking about absence procedures. But if you’ve ever been left guessing whether someone’s off sick, overslept, or has simply been abducted by aliens, you’ll know why a proper reporting process is essential.
Consistency is key. Every employee, every time.
You can’t expect some employees to follow the absence procedure and let others slide. You can’t discipline certain people for ignoring it while turning a blind eye to the rest. And you definitely can’t enforce the rules only on Mondays or when you’re in the mood.
It’s simple: either everyone follows the process, or you end up with people freestyling their absences while you’re left guessing where they are (and chasing them like a full-time detective). The good news? You can draw a line in the sand right now. From this point forward, every employee who doesn’t follow the absence reporting procedure should go through the steps below—consistently, every time.
The Basics: What Employees Should Be Doing
Your absence reporting rules live in your Staff Handbook (yes, that thing everyone swears they’ve read). Employees must follow them for every absence, no matter what.
Typically, this means:
- Calling in before their shift starts on each day they’re off (some policies specify an amount of notice, like one hour before).
- They can self-certify for up to 7 calendar days, but they must call in every day during that time.
- If they’re off for more than 7 days, they need to hand over a fit note. Once that arrives, daily check-ins are no longer required because the fit note covers the duration.
If they skip any of these steps—no call, late call, or “I texted Dave once three hours after my shift started”—that’s a problem, and it needs to be addressed every single time.
Step One: The Return-to-Work Interview
This is your quick “welcome back” chat, ideally done the moment they walk through the door, before they start work. It’s usually a speedy 5-minute conversation to confirm:
- they’re well enough to work, and
- why they were absent.
But here’s the important bit:
If they didn’t follow the reporting procedure correctly, this chat should immediately be followed by an investigation meeting.
Step Two: The Investigation Meeting
This is where you calmly and clearly establish:
- Did they know the reporting procedure?
- Why didn’t they follow it?
- Do they understand that failing to follow it counts as unauthorised absence?
- That you expect them to stick to the correct process going forward?
Friendly but firm—that’s the sweet spot.
The Outcome
First offence:
Give them an Advisory Note confirming that they didn’t follow the procedure and that they have now been reminded of it and agreed to follow it going forward (so no excuses of “I didn’t know I had to call an hour before my shift” in the future).
Repeat offences:
This time, you will likely follow the investigation stage with a formal disciplinary process.
(And don’t go solo—get in touch so we can guide you through it properly.)
Remember: unauthorised absences are unpaid, so enforcing the procedure protects both you and the business.
