Common Reasons Staff Take Time Off Work And How Managers Can Deal With Them

Every workplace across the world will have staff taking time off from time to time. The reasons can vary, from just going off sick to the day to booking off a couple of weeks from work. As a manager, it will be your duty to ensure you are supporting your staff and that the book is doing everything.

For example, an employee may need to take some time off briefly for personal family matters. This could be direct family or even a beloved pet. There are many common reasons as well as these, some of which we will explore below.

Personal Injuries Outside Of Work

Some employees may have injuries that keep them out of work for a while. The amount of time will depend on the actual injury itself and the impact it actually had on someone. An injury may recover physically, but it could impact someone further to the point that they need time before returning.

In situations like this, it is common for employees to give their boss a medical note that officially allows them to have time off. This is usually from a doctor, but it could come from several relevant medical professionals.

It will be your job as a manager to help support an employee when they have personal injuries of some kind. For example, you could reassure the employee that their job will still be here while they are off, and you could look to top up their wages alongside the Statutory Sick Pay that they will be eligible for.

If they were involved in a cycling accident on the way to work, you should offer advice and support to serve them well. You should advise them to seek legal services that specialise in cycle accidents to seek compensation. Quittance Legal Services can help you with a claim for a cycling accident through a no-win, no-fee guarantee. You could phone up on their behalf to find out what options are available or point them in the right direction.

Any worker involved in an accident on the way to work should be properly cared for. It may not have happened on work premises, but you should show your support and show that you care for their wellbeing. It’s important that this be genuine.

Mental Health Concerns

Similarly to personal injuries outside of work, mental health concerns can lead to staff taking time off of work. There are several mental health concerns that could lead to time being off work being advisable. It could come in the form of depression, which has led to an employee not being 100% able to work to the standard they would expect.

In situations like this, a bit of time off could help them get back to their best. Of course, there may be other things that they will need to do in their own time, such as going to regular therapy sessions and doing some self-care.

In the meantime, it may be best for them to have some time away from work. Try to communicate with an employee effectively so that you can support them in a way that works for all parties. A few days off will be best, or signing off for two weeks could give them time to rest their mind and body.

You should try to create a culture of supportive mental health within the workplace. Plenty of guides provide tips on how to look after your mental health at work that could serve you well when it comes to implementing mental health policies at work.

Holidaying And Travelling

Easily one of the most common reasons that staff take time off work is so that they can go on holiday and travel around the world. In the UK, it works through something known as annual leave, which builds up over time. There are a couple of different systems to work out how much they are entitled to.

You will have the accrual system, which sees you working how much a worker is entitled to for a holiday within the first year of the job. Usually, a worker will get 1/12th of their leave each month with this system. The leave year system involves a manager telling staff the statutory leave year as soon as they start working. Workers would have to use their leave time during this year.

This all works separately from maternity/paternity leave, which is completely different. With that said, it is still worth considering in the grand scheme of things when discussing common reasons employees take time off work.

If they have booked time off work for their own time, then you must respect that. If they are going through pregnancy, then you will need to support them when it comes to the baby being born. This will involve you ensuring the paperwork is sorted for them and that their job is still there for them when they return.