Quick takeaways
- 1 in 4 SMEs in the UK are highly vulnerable to disruptions when a staff member is off sick.
- Proactive planning and using the right HR tools are critical for minimising disruptions.
- A great leave management system can be a game-changer for forecasting potential absence and monitoring who needs time off.
There is growing concern among small business owners about the impact of sickness absence on day-to-day operations, and proactive planning, paired with a good system, is often the answer.
Research shows that 1 in 4 SMEs are seriously affected when a staff member is away on sick leave. In small teams where every role is critical, even a short absence can derail productivity, delay client deadlines, and impact morale.
Proactive planning is essential to reducing the impact of sickness absence.
Scenario: Design studio disruption
Tilly owns a graphic design studio in London with four staff members, excluding herself. Last week, two members of her team came down with a cold as a client deadline was due.
With half her team sick, Tilly and her other employees faced extra pressure to meet the deadline. They made it — but stress took its toll, and another team member fell ill days later.
Tilly is now rushing to find a freelancer at the last minute to assist the team and keep everybody on track, but it comes at double the hourly rate. Looking back, Tilly realises that she could have spotted the warning signs sooner by tracking absence trends in a leave management system, rather than relying on a spreadsheet to do so manually. She could have also had more flexibility with freelancers if her team could log sick days through an app as soon as they knew they were going to be away.
By using a proper leave management system, she can forecast the times of year that she is most likely to need staff cover at the last minute, or even offer staff more remote work opportunities to avoid burnout.
How to plan proactively to reduce sickness absence
Use data and reporting to spot patterns early.
Your leave management system can help you assess absence trends throughout your business. You can use your reporting functions to look up data by department, season or individual staff members. By detecting patterns early, you can address any underlying issues before things escalate.
Encourage a healthy work environment.
Encourage regular breaks, ergonomic workspaces, movement, air, light, hydration and healthy food. Even the smallest investments in wellbeing can give your team a boost.
Allow for open communication.
People need a space where they feel safe to discuss any concerns they have at work, especially if it relates to health issues. Understanding these issues early can prevent short-term issues from snowballing into more permanent ones.
Plan workload peaks, cover and time off for staff.
Be sure to identify the busy period and plan for flexible staffing. This could be anything from extra cover or cross-training your team in downtime to help with the workload. This training could be your saving grace in the event of unexpected illness.
Offer flexible working options where possible.
Sometimes people are not quite well enough to come into the office, but feel able to get some work done from home. Allowing the option to work from home on a slightly off-day can be beneficial to recovery, productivity, and eliminate the risk of spreading illness in the workplace.
Bonus tip: Offering Wellbeing Days to your team can be a great reminder that you support a healthy, happy culture.
Plan to minimise sickness absence disruption.
Tackling sickness absence reactively puts a massive strain on teams, whether it be a small business or a large public service. Having a strategy and effective system for managing leave is crucial for giving everyone peace of mind.
Planning absence proactively not only helps to reduce absence, but it also helps maintain morale and prevent burnout.
Plan leave proactively with Leave Dates - See features and learn more.
Frequently asked questions
How can small businesses prepare for unexpected staff sickness without disrupting operations?
Creating a clear contingency plan for unexpected sickness absence can be of huge benefit to small business. By cross-training staff, important tasks can be covered by other staff members, also keeping good relationships with trusted freelancers can be helpful.
What tools or systems can help track and manage employee absences effectively?
A great leave management system (LMS) is an invaluable tool for small businesses. By allowing people to log a sick day in real time, you can get ahead in finding staff cover. Never rely on a spreadsheet or manual system to manage leave, using an LMS you can track absence trends, plan cover, prevent conflicts and generate reporting data. Leave Dates is an excellent option for SMEs to manage absence, complete with mobile app.
What proactive strategies can small businesses use to prevent burnout and maintain productivity during unplanned absences?
Along with using a leave management system, it is encouraged that employers adopt other proactive strategies like flexible working and open communication about workload or stress. All of these things will contribute to higher team morale.
Author
Che Thornbury
Ché manages our marketing, communications and partnerships. She helps people find Leave Dates and make sure it is right for them. Her favourite weekly task is sending thank you messages to customers who review us.
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