Canadian HR Strategy

29 issue, requiring the setting of objectives and priorities and the allocation of re- sources, commitment and leadership. Here's what senior executives need to consider and act upon: Invest in attendance management: Given the potential cost of workplace absen- teeism, it goes without saying absenteeism should be tracked, monitored and actively and consistently addressed. We know from experience the longer an employee remains off work, the less likely the employee will re- turn. is has an impact not only from an operational perspective (hiring and training a replacement employee) but also in terms of employee morale, costs associated with benefi t plans and potential future legal liabil- ity, and the health of employees themselves who are increasingly at risk the longer they remain away from the workplace. e object of the exercise is, therefore, to motivate 100 per cent attendance through- out the organization, assist employees with their own wellness and help employees get back to work as safely, effi ciently and strate- gically as possible. To this end, the value to the organization of employee wellness and perfect attendance should be heralded o en and prominently. Leaders should regularly demonstrate they care about their people. Something as sim- ple as a genuine and timely inquiry into the health of an absent employee will go a long way toward the successful management of employee absenteeism. Classic "carrot and stick" strategies to re- ward employees on the basis of clearly com- municated expectations are also eff ective. is includes recognizing employee success- es with awards and corporate accolades, and addressing poor performance via coaching or discipline (for culpable absenteeism), sub- ject to the context of each absenteeism. Identify issues: Before an attendance management strategy can be developed or enhanced, management needs to under- stand what it's up against. Why is the orga- nization, or parts of it, suff ering from grow- ing workplace absenteeism? e answers require an honest, self-audit of absenteeism throughout the organization broken down by factors such as: •region/jurisdiction — are some regions more susceptible than others and, if so, why? •location (within a region) •managerial personnel — are certain indi- viduals contributing to the problem? •existing workplace policies and procedures including attendance management, dis- ability management and leave days — does the organization have, and imple- ment, appropriate policies and practices? •scheduling — do absences tend to occur at certain times of the day, week or year? •unionization or union activity — we know from experience the rate of absenteeism will increase at a unionized workplace. e key is to think broadly and dig deeply into every possible cause of work- place absenteeism. Know your rights as an organiza- tion: Once the reasons for absenteeism have been identifi ed, the natural inclina- tion is to take action. However, no steps should be taken until the senior team has a comprehensive understanding of the organization's rights and obligations, re- lated risks and strategies to address them. At a unionized environment, a proposed change to a workplace policy or practice may require the giving of notice to — or even the consent of — the applicable union, depending on the language of the collec- tive agreement governing the relationship between the organization and its unionized employees. However, even at a non-unionized en- vironment, before making change to a workplace policy or practice, management should consider the following: •If a change is made, will it be necessary to amend employment agreements with existing employees? If so, how can this be accomplished effi ciently and with the least amount of disruption to the work- place? •Does the existing benefi ts policy (if any), restrict certain changes and, if so, how can this be addressed? •Could the proposed change trigger alle- gations of constructive dismissal from a group or groups of employees and, if so, how can management proactively mini- mize and manage this risk? •In the event a decision is made to end the employment relationship with certain in- dividuals, what is the related risk and cost, and how can management proactively protect the organization? In addition, employment standards legislation mandates certain protected leaves that must be respected by employ- ers, including family medical leave, personal emergency leave, bereavement leave, preg- nancy and parental leave. Beyond employment standards, remem- ber that an organization must not discrimi- nate or harass an individual in employment on the basis of a disability — whether physi- cal or mental, and whether occupational or non-occupational — and every organiza- tion is required to accommodate an em- ployee with a disability to the point of undue hardship. What constitutes a disability and undue hardship has been, and continues to be, the subject of much debate and several textbooks. Know your people: A workplace policy or practice must be more than le- gally compliant. It must also recognize the practical realities of a particular work-

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