GAP Australasian Dentist Sept Oct 2020

Category 114 Australasian Dentist Addressing employee absenteeism in the COVID era By Pam McKean, Director, AB Dental & Medical Employment Agency Pam McKean A ccording to SEEK, the dental industry has seen a sharp increase in demand for staff moving into the top 20 most in demand industries this quarter. Dental is listed in SEEK’s ‘Top 20.’ This is turn, seems to be impacting staffing levels nationally, making it more difficult to find permanent staff, and more challenging to fill short term roles when staff are unwell or unable to attend work. While it’s true we need to be more diligent than ever when it comes to our health and those around us, COVID has created an increased level of absenteeism in businesses across all industries, dental included. While our award provides allowances for personal/carers leave, this year, many employees will far exceed what is available. With the ever-changing landscape during COVID, it’s understandable that lots of business owners and managers are unsure of what their obligations are with regard to different types of leave, especially when handling employees’ rights to leave and pay in these unsettling times. Running a busy labour hire service, we have plenty of our own challenges, but also are constantly solving staffing issues for our clients who are having similar issues. When does personal/carers leave apply specifically due to COVID related issues? According to Fair Work personal leave allows an employee to take time off work to help them deal with personal illness, caring responsibilities or family emergencies. An employer can offer annual leave or unpaid leave (or long service leave if available) if the employee has not accrued any paid personal sick leave. Situations where sick leave might apply include if an employee: u tests positive to COVID-19 u is in Government directed OR optional self-isolation and is sick u is sick with any illness or injury u has to care for or support a member of their immediate family or household who is sick, injured or has an unexpected emergency including, but not limited to: – any illness – COVID-19 – school closure due to COVID-19 – Government directed isolation of child/dependant due to COVID Whilemost employees will do the right thing, we are hearing of, and experiencing many instances of excessive sick leave. I was unaware prior to COVID that an employee can take up to 3 months off without providing any information about the actual illness. They only need a doctor’s certificate stating they are unable to work due to a non-disclosable illness or an illness of unknown origin. Funnily, I’ve had 3 of these doctors certificates, all from casual employees, all on JobKeeper. I am unable ask why they can’t attend work or when they may return. While we have a large pool of casual staff, I would imagine this could be extremely challenging for a small practice to deal with. The great ‘Aussie sickie’ is supposedly embedded in our work culture. Research shows that even the very ‘best’ employees are occasionally guilty of ‘chucking a sickie’. If it’s a one-off ‘mental health day’, then generally this isn’t too problematic for businesses. But given this unique set of circumstances, many employees are taking personal leave as a matter of course, or are considering their sick leave as being part of their annual leave entitlement – it can lead to issues around lost productivity, drop in morale among other staff, and increased costs for your business. It is very difficult to identify if someone is abusing their sick leave entitlement. How many is too many? What should you do when someone is suffering a genuine illness or injury? And, what are your options if you suspect someone isn’t really sick? Generally, if someone is having every Friday off, you’re probably right to suspect something is going on other than a genuine illness. Similarly, if you start to see a pattern of behaviour – like mystery illnesses that spring up every time there’s an important social event, it could be worth investigating further. However, it’s often not that obvious. And, if you do find someone has a pattern of being absent, it could be for legitimate reasons. These might include mental health, bullying, poor management or lack of interest in the role. Your first reaction should be one of genuine concern. You should also get on the front foot and begin talking to an employee who’s taking a lot of sick leave, rather than letting things continue to drag on and in many cases, fester by creating team resentment. Talking to your employee about their sick leave can be difficult. The simplest way to approach your employee is firstly to offer assistance. If their reasons are genuine, they will appreciate that you care and want to help. This is usually a good starting point to get people to open up. If the situation is more serious, it can be a good to time to discuss a longer-term plan to benefit both parties, including cross training other staff to assist the person who is taking time off. As a general rule, employees who are least inclined to talk are usually the ones who aren’t using genuine leave. It’s still imperative to tread carefully. For example, people who are being bullied or are experiencing stressful personal situations at home, may also be less inclined to talk, so it’s important they know that a door is always open and that your position is one of genuine concern. It is important to be up front. In a situation where you’ve been genuinely concerned, now is the time to advise the employee that once their sick leave entitlement has gone, they’ll be moving to unpaid leave. Some employers may decide in this current environment to offer additional leave or leave in advance or annual leave if that is available. This can be fine but do be wary of taking this approach. Allowing some employees to access additional paid columnists Continued page 117