Sickness and absence bother SMEs most

MANAGING staff sickness and absence from work are the biggest bugbears for small business owners, according to a survey.

Research by Citation, the Wilmslow-based employment law adviser, saw 6,500 UK firms quizzed over the issues which cause them most concern.

They were asked to rank issues from redundancy, managing sickness, discrimination, agency workers regulations, recruitment selection, maternity and paternity, discipline and grievances.

Andrea O’ Hare, head of personnel and employment law said; “Our survey showed that 21% of our clients were most bothered by sickness and absence issues and the impact this could have on their business.

“Many employers think that they cannot contact or meet with an employee when they are off sick, particularly for longer-term absences. This is simply not the case .

“We advise clients to establish and maintain regular contact with employees who are sick as regular open dialogue between employer and employee enables employers to closely manage sickness and absence issues and plan their businesses accordingly.”

Managers were also concerned about discipline 19% and recruitment and selection 18%. Redundancy came in fourth with 13%.

One of the respondees, Andy Redfern, managing director of Liverpool-based online marketing agency Hit Search, said; “We are a small business and staff sickness and absence has a huge impact on the team’s ability to deliver our service, not to mention the additional pressure it undoubtedly adds to the whole team.”