re: attendance - are we getting the real picture?

[postslippete]

Something I've noticed recently and I'm curious whether it's unique to our office or happening elsewhere.

We've had plenty of people leave recently with both legacy staff retiring and new entrants deciding the job isn't for them. But I've also noticed occasions where new starters have gone off sick and instead of management immediately moving into attendance procedures or stage warnings, there seems to be flexibility around using annual leave instead. Obviously, there may be perfectly valid reasons for that not knowing the full circumstances. But if this sort of thing is happening more widely it does raise questions.

We constantly hear about retention issues, attendance figures, workload pressures and why people leave. But if absences are being managed or absorbed in different ways, are we always getting a completely accurate picture of what is happening across offices? I'm not suggesting some grand conspiracy. But when offices are under pressure around attendance and targets, behaviours can change around how numbers are managed.

Genuinely interested whether anyone else has seen similar or whether our office is just an outlier?

[A2B]

Been happening for a few years in our office

[teesdale]

Love to convert my sickness to annual leave. On a stage at the moment. Of course I dont have to put in any effort for 12 months until its gone as compensation. Must go slower so I dont get ill at all times. I may start caring again in 2027. Pay is £480 if go slow or £480 if go fast.

[roadrunner bill]

It's simple, royal mail is killing its work force in delivery..

[postslippete]

Obviously, I can't give any hard evidence but there's no consistency in the business. Because if one person decides that they need a few days off and suggest they take it from their A/L, while others go on sick and immediately get a stage warning - people inevitable start asking whether the attendance policies are being applied consistently. Especially, if they also then decide to take their A/L later on as well! If sickness is sometimes being converted into A/L, does that also affect the attendance picture the business reports?

If retention, absence and workload are all major issues then surely everyone benefits from having the clearest possible picture of whats actually happening. If offices are having to become more flexible just to retain staff, then that is a cost too, even if it doesn't appear on a spreadsheet somewhere.