HR MANAGEMENT - How to Deal With Employees Who Call in Sick Weekly

How to Deal With Employees Who Call in Sick Weekly

by Tia Benjamin, Demand Media

Even relatively minor illnesses such as the flu can sometimes qualify for Family Medical Leave.

Abuse of sick leave is a problem in any business, due to the impact on workplace productivity. Morale may also suffer when coworkers are forced to pick up the slack for an absent employee. Small businesses are particularly impacted when employees call out sick frequently, because the small size of the business does not allow for the work to be easily absorbed by other staff within the organization. Consequently, small-business owners must take steps to deal with potential sick leave abuse quickly and efficiently as soon as a trend is identified.

Step 1

Chart the employee's sick leave so you can identify any trends and patterns. If the sick leave occurs once a week, identify if the employee is out on the same day or time each week. Establish how long the absences have been occurring and if the dates relate to anything, such as baseball home games.

Step 2

Schedule a private meeting to talk to the employee. Don't make accusations, but present him with the chart you created and ask if he notices a pattern. Ask if there is a reason for the pattern, and explain the impact of the absences -- such as coworkers being forced to take on additional duties to cover his work.

Step 3

Present the employee with family medical leave paperwork, if your business is covered by the regulations. To be covered under the act, a small business must have employed 50 or more employees for at least 20 weeks within the current -- or prior -- calendar year. Employees must been employed by the company for at least 12 months, worked for at least 1,250 hours in the previous 12 months and be located at a worksite where at least 50 employees are also employed by the company within a 75-mile radius. A pattern of sick leave may be a sign that the employee could be entitled to intermittent FML.

Step 4

Discuss possible accommodations. If the employee tells you that he is calling out sick because he has to take his mom to and from the hospital for dialysis on Fridays, you could explore alternatives to sick leave -- for example, adjusting the employee's regular 40-hour work week by allowing him to work nine-hour days Monday through Thursday and a four-hour day on Friday.

Step 5

Inform the employee of the consequences of his actions, if he does not indicate a protected reason or provide a reasonable explanation for the weekly sick calls. Inform the employee that discipline will result if the situation does not improve. Document the conversation, and have the employee sign it as a record he was put on notice.

Step 6

Make the employee provide you with a doctor's note each and every time he calls in sick, if the absences are not covered by FML. Set expectations for improvement of attendance, and conduct frequent reviews -- every 30 to 60 days, for example -- to check on progress.

Step 7

Discipline the employee if he fails to improve or provide doctor's verification as required, or if you determine that the sick calls were dishonest.