When you are based from a business premises and an employee is ill then you can either physically see this or they are forced to take sickness days which can be easily tracked. When an employee is homeworking then does this reduce the likelihood, they will report their illness and does this mean they are more easily able to work at a reduced capacity?
How can you ensure you are kept informed?
Homeworking Policy
A good homeworking policy will set out clearly the process you want your teams to follow if they feel unwell.
You will also have a more detailed Absence Policy which would set out how absence should be reported.
Making a decision as to how you communicate when it is acceptable to continue working and when an employee should alert you that they are under the weather will encourage the culture of being open and honest about their health.
Where do you record absence?
Do you have a means of keeping accurate record of the times an employee may be unwell? Keeping accurate data will help you establish any patterns and also identify where there may be an underlaying health issue.
Can you track activity?
If you suspect an employee is not working as they are unwell, do you have a means of monitoring progress to see if there is activity from your employee on any given day?
If this is in place and you see little if any activity, it is important to approach your employees to find out if there is a problem whether this be health or otherwise.
If you are concerned with any aspect of home working then feel free to arrange a free consultation with one of our HR experts on 0844 8797286.
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