You may be surprised to hear that the cost of long-term absence for UK employers is estimated to be staggering £32.7 billion. This includes direct expenses like wages and benefits, as well as indirect costs like reduced productivity, overtime, and recruitment.

But… what’s even more alarming is that this is predicted double in the next five years to £66.3 billion by 2030! So, there’s never been a better time to ensure you’re proactively managing long-term sickness – both for the wellbeing of your employees and your bottom-line.

But how do you manage long-term absence sensitively whilst also keeping the needs of the business in mind?

A structured approach is always best to ensure consistency of process, clarity for all parties, and help (where possible) to facilitate a return to work as quickly as possible.

The good news is, we’ve put together an example procedure in our ‘Free Resources’ section of the platform. Simply search ‘long-term absence management procedural flowchart’ to download your copy now.

Our Subscribers can also access some more great absence management templates, to help on a practical level. Everything from template attendance review meeting letters to return-to-work forms, and absence management policy examples.

Plus, we’ll be adding one more to the collection – our templateletter setting out arrangements for an employee’s phased return to work following a period of long-term sickness absence.