Absence management in housing
When a staff electrician or boiler engineer goes off sick and it takes time to find a replacement, the consequence can be a family without lighting or heating. Absences mean you can risk failing communities in your care – because applicants and tenants need to know that, when they call, the phone will be answered and help will be available. Even during development, attendance on site by project owners and any directly employed trades keeps projects on track to deliver urgently needed new homes on time.
Absence can happen for many reasons – from minor illness, musculoskeletal problems, accidents and long-term health issues, and mental health problems including stress. All employers are being increasingly affected by demographic changes such as ageing, obesity and rising levels of diabetes – adding to the pressures.
Absence is often an early indicator of associated issues and frequently leads to parallel health cases and HR cases including disciplinary, grievance and other employee relations matters – all to be managed concurrently.
Managing the health of housing employees
Maintenance and construction work may involve exposure to many physical, chemical and biological hazards, and work schedules may contribute to psychological risk. Working at heights or in close proximity to heavy machinery can be hazardous. Planning and administrative work may involve desk-based work with ergonomic hazards.
It’s time to do more than the minimum.
Putting health at the centre of your workforce strategy is key to reducing the risks and costs of absence, retaining and attracting the staff you need to thrive.
Doing more than the minimum means getting proactive and monitoring health constantly and consistently, not just reacting. You need accurate data, smart insights and appropriate platforms – and your standard HR and enterprise systems were never designed for either.
Can you answer all these vital questions about every employee?
- Are they fit for work?
- Are they at risk?
- Have you checked?
- Can you prove it?
A new home for HR cases
Whether your housing teams are out on the construction site, delivering maintenance services to tenants, or based back in the office, it can be a real challenge to keep a clear overview of every employee case that your HR team must manage. It’s essential to support your HR advisers, line managers and any external officers properly to reduce your risks as well as serve your staff well.
Empactis HR Case Manager gives you a new home for all your HR case management information, workflows and compliance. It enables you to manage all types of HR cases including grievance, disciplinary and performance cases, and connect them to associated issues such as employee health and unplanned absences. Line managers are better supported to manage employee challenges and liaise with HR, and your HR team can focus on helping and adding value, not administration.
How Empactis can help housing groups
The Empactis platform can help housing groups to:
