Prepared by: _____ Date: ___________ Reviewed by: ____ Date: _________

ABSENTEEISM INTERNAL CONTROL QUESTIONNAIRE Introduction Absenteeism is a human capital risk. A key goal of any organization is to be a good employer. If employees feel that they can exploit loopholes within an organization, they do not turn up for work; this impacts on their self-worth and has a detrimental effect on the organization. Question Corporate Plan/Department Plan Who has ultimate responsibility for managing absenteeism? Is there a Corporate Champion? Is there a section within the Corporate Plan that states that a key goal is to reduce employee absenteeism? Is the reduction of absenteeism, a key goal within the Departmental Plan? Is this objective set out in the Personal Development Plan of the Head of Department and his/her managers? Are targets set and how is this monitored? Policy Does an absence policy exist? How widely is it publicized? Does this policy include the roles and responsibilities of staff? What are the trigger points? How is absence reported, for example, on the first day of absence does the employee contact HR or their Line Manager? What happens then? Recording Who records the absence and how? Is this process consistent? How is duplication avoided? The Absence Process Is there a defined process? Is the process legally compliant? What is stated in the employment contract? Yes No N/A Comments

Absenteeism ICQ

Prepared by: _____ Date: ___________ Reviewed by: ____ Date: _________

Question Does the organization undertake pre-employment screening? Where the potential employee has a history of high levels of absence is this recorded and taken into account prior to appointment? Certification Is a standardized form used to record absence stating the reason, length of time and condition? At what point is the selfcertification form completed? After how many days is a doctors note required? When is the matter referred to Occupational Health? Payment What are the qualifying periods and amounts, which are paid? Does management have a say in this? Long Periods For long periods of absence or recurrent absence, does line management, HR or Occupational Health get involved? Is a return to work interview undertaken? Return to Work When staff return to work are they offered restrictive duties or is there a phasing-out period? Disciplinary Procedures Is there a Dismissal Policy in place to deal with recurring and frequent absence? Are staff that have excessive absences subject to sanctions? Is this contained in the contract of employment? Training Does the organization have training regarding positive absence management? Who organizes this training? Is there a Stress Committee? Does the organization hold stress

Yes

No

N/A

Comments

Absenteeism ICQ

Prepared by: _____ Date: ___________ Reviewed by: ____ Date: _________

Question workshops? Is a confidential advice line provided to staff? Is confidential counseling available where stress or harassment is identified as a problem? Management Information What kind of information is reported to Senior Management? Do reports go to meetings of the Personnel Committee and to the Board? Can trends be identified and is benchmarking undertaken in comparison to other sectors? Do the reports benchmark departmental absences throughout the year? How does management deal with departments who exceed sickness targets? Are departments that have reduced their levels of sickness rewarded and how is this done?

Yes

No

N/A

Comments

Absenteeism ICQ