Managing Mondayitis

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If there is one issue that aggravates people in the workplace, it’s high absenteeism.  I’m really going to try and sit on the fence here and see this from both sides, but there’s one takeaway from this: frequently calling in sick when not, or not quite, can cause unseen and irreversible damage that employees don’t see, may regret in hindsight, and a lose-lose situation.  So let’s avoid that.

Here at Pragmatic HR, we focus on the practical problems, and what simply solutions can be found.  So let’s turn our minds to managing those frequently absent.

Frequent but unrelated

Firstly let’s define what we are talking about, and what we are not.  What we are not talking about is an ongoing medical condition that causes one extended absence (e.g. cancer, broken bones, surgery etc) or frequent instances (e.g. gout, Crohn’s disease)-those a different- there is a reason for the absence.

See here for more on 1 reason absences.

What we are talking about here is when someone is sick a lot, for a range of reasons- a cold one week, covid the next, migraine another, and so forth, that is perceived to be too many.  The ‘if-it’s-not-one-thing-it’s-another’ people.

What is genuinely sick?

Again I unfortunately cannot answer definitively, because this varies- by individual, by culture, even by workplace.  In food manufacturing, you can’t work with certain symptoms, in healthcare you can’t work with covid symptoms, which are exceptions to the norms. 

At the heart of the question is symptoms vs incapacity.  If calling in sick, are they incapacitated from work in a significant way? Can they not do the work that needs to be done? Or are they just suffering the symptoms or byproducts of an illness but capable of performing the job?

I have no opinion on this, it’s not for me to judge each and every situation.  But I am pointing out that the boss has an opinion, and co-workers have an opinion, and their opinions can matter. When an employee is sick people will give them the benefit of the doubt, until…

The snap

Or the turnaround, or the switch. When belief, and trust, and good faith just stops, and doesn’t come back. It’s a bit of a ‘boy-who-cried-wolf’ situation; managers and co-workers will believe and trust, until one day they don’t. And no one saw that day coming.

Mental health days

This is a recent minefield, and one that’s a little tricky, because it’s a broad term, and the specific meaning varies, and that variation is important.  To keep it simple for discussion, let’s exclude existing conditions and diagnoses, and think only in terms of anticipating an illness- is it reasonable for an employee to take a sick day in anticipation of a mental health illness?  ‘I’m feeling stressed and worried it will all become too much, so I’ll take a mental health day to look after myself’. My answer? no. But yours may be different, and that’s fine.

Listen here for how to pop personal bubbles of reality.

A simple way to think about mental health is that the brain is a body part.  Just like an ankle, the liver, the back, it can get strained and unable to work, and needs treatment and rest.  Working through a brain strain can be just as risky as back strain. 

See here for more on wellbeing.

How many is too many?

That is a tricky question, and very much in the eye of the beholder, and the circumstances. Two tuesdays is different from two ‘day 1 of a week of night shifts’. 

Some workplace cultures, and some managers, give a lot of lenience, while others are very strict.  It’s not just a question of total, it’s also a question of pattern; on Mondays, when the workload is higher, prior to night shifts, and so forth.  There is no definitive number or pattern, but there is some point, subjective to the manager, when their eyebrow arches and they think to themselves ‘again?’ or they roll their eyes, ‘again’.

Listen here for a 'defense’ (of sorts) for why people don’t care as much as we want.

Sick days can be perceived one of two ways; with sympathy or eye-rolls.  This can vary from person to person, and/or event to event.  Its best to think of everyone have a personal budget of sympathy; and once it’s gone, it’s gone.  A manager could be fine with 4 days off, but the eye-rolls start (i.e. their patience is gone) at day 5.

See here or listen here for a new perspective on HR.

Invisibly labelled by manager and co-workers as a slacker

So here’s the potential outcome that may occur, and is risked every time an employee calls in sick, and is either a) sick, b) might be getting sick or is recovering from being sick, or c) not sick.   They may be labelled by their boss, or co-workers as having ‘high absenteesim’, or ‘swinging the lead’ (it’s English navy slang, and a great expression for someone exploiting light tasks avoiding hard work).  But the perception is that the employee is avoiding their fair share of the work that needs to be done, and leaving it for others to pick up for you.

See here for more on mediation.

Solving the problem simply (it’s our slogan)

First thing to do is have a chat.  The line of no return is often passed unnoticed, and employees who have, or maybe close to passing from sympathy to eye-rolls, most likely don’t know that they are putting their reputation at risk.  It’s common for people to think that they are doing a good job, that things are fine. Talking to them dispels illusions they may have that their absences is fine- that the work isn’t disrupted, that their colleagues don’t mind.  Most of the time this works, because people see the social and careers costs of the reputation they are accidentally building.

See here for managers can be hot or cold on dealing with things.

But it doesn’t work all the time.  The next step is to make it a performance matter. It’s tricky (and quite risky, so get a lot of advice), but the logic is this; your hours of work are part of the job, and at the moment you’re not fulfilling your side of the bargain.  The employer contracted you for X hours (e.g. 40) and we aren’t getting it, so we need to start seeing it.   How much is enough to pass can be contentious- personally my rule of thumb is 2 or more absences in a month is too many (that’s being sick every fortnight), some see this as too much. 

Listen here for how people redeem themselves.

See here for more on PIPs.

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