Managing attendance

[POSTMAN]

https://www.myroyalmail.com/news/2014/1 ... attendance" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Our attendance agreement with the unions supports employees in achieving good attendance levels

We agreed a new attendance procedure with our unions last year aimed at supporting employees in achieving and maintaining consistently good levels of attendance.

The health and safety of our staff is our number one priority. We need to support colleagues’ health and wellbeing whether they are at work or absent due to illness.

In the financial year 2013/14 we lost 1.4 million days due to sickness absence. Maintaining consistently good levels of attendance is crucial to the success of the business, and enabling us to secure as many high-quality jobs as possible.

Everyone’s responsibility

Managing attendance is the responsibility of both employees and managers.

The agreement, first and foremost, focuses on conversations about absence, rather than warnings. It directs managers to treat everyone as an individual and listen to them before deciding what to do. And it asks that employees should make every effort to meet the attendance standards and come to work if they possibly can.

Supporting you

We run a number of programmes to support you.

This includes First Class Support, which is free and totally confidential. If you need someone to talk to confidentially regarding anything from family to financial worries, you can call and talk to experts for support.

Simply call 0800 6888 777, lines are open 24/7. You can also visit http://www.rmgfirstclasssupport.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for more information.

We are also expanding our Feeling First Class programme so we can better support your health and wellbeing needs.

[Keenzy]

RM has tackled the problem of attendance in the wrong way. By issuing stage warnings for 3 absences in a year they are creating a situation where employees are forced to stay off longer to ensure they are fully recovered. Heavy-handed 'management' causing problems for themselves. If they showed genuine concern for their staff then sickness levels would improve greatly. I've worked in several industries and although I enjoy my job in delivery I have never seen such an inept bunch of managers. Maybe as others suggest it is down to the bonus culture that creates a 'them and us' mentality.

[beezet]

i agree Keenzy, they make staff come back to early,and how many times do you see someone spreading germs around the office sneezing and coughing when if they had a couple of days off the rest of us might not catch it.

[rubberbond]

RM has tackled the problem of attendance in the wrong way. By issuing stage warnings for 3 absences in a year they are creating a situation where employees are forced to stay off longer to ensure they are fully recovered. Heavy-handed 'management' causing problems for themselves. If they showed genuine concern for their staff then sickness levels would improve greatly. I've worked in several industries and although I enjoy my job in delivery I have never seen such an inept bunch of managers. Maybe as others suggest it is down to the bonus culture that creates a 'them and us' mentality.

I am not that sure whether the bonus culture is to blame,if you look at it this way :
Bonus =£2000 /12 (months) = 166 /4.33(weeks per month) = £38.49 per wheel.
That is before Tax etc. Hardly seems worth it to me.
What other causes are there?
Poor training
Poor interpersonal skills
Culture from above
Ignorance (an abundant quality in RM management)

Will it ever change? I doubt it , this is what we are stuck with, unless something radical happens.

[5plusbonusball]

The dom will decide if a stage is issued , without a thought a stage is issued ! end of.
Some of our many not needed linos have up to 6 months off at a time!

[General Mannerheim]

Our DOM has by far the worse sick record in the building and probably the worst in this region.

[teesdale]

Same here, our managers have always had the most time off due to sickness. And when they go they always go out for longer. Yet although they are subject to the same procedure as us, none ever get the sack at stage 3 for poor attendance. I think their knowledge of the system and the fact that stages 2 and 3 will not be issued to them means they will always be sick the most. We had one who went sick the week before Christmas pressure every year without fail.

[5plusbonusball]

Our DOM has by far the worse sick record in the building and probably the worst in this region.

must be that diabetes thing where they can be off 6 months but still go to pub most nights and play darts !!