There are lots of reasons your sickness levels could be high – from genuine virus breakouts and fakers, to lack of understanding and fairness in your policies.
That’s why we asked our consultants panel for their best advice on how to get your sickness levels back down – so you can tackle this common contact centre issue from all sides to get things back under control.
21 Ways to Get Agent Sickness Under Control
1. Offer a Later Start So Agents Can “Sleep It Off”
Be flexible with your operational set-up: shift slides, making up time and working from home are all key things we can discuss with our teams when they are feeling under the weather.
Often, we feel worst in the morning, so, where you can, offer a later start so people can “sleep it off” or catch up on some interrupted sleep from late-night coughing or restlessness.
This can help people feel better and means you may lose a few hours but not the whole shift.
Keeping a clear dialogue with your planning team, and understanding if there are alternative hours, will also help demonstrate flexibility and reduce the impact on your sickness budget!
Contributed by: Garry Gormley, Founder of FAB Solutions
2. Allow Agents to Buy Back Unused Sick Leave
Agents can sometimes view their available “sick time” with a “use it or lose it” mentality.
I like to reframe it to be more like having health insurance, as having that insurance can give you tremendous peace of mind in the event of an emergency.
I’ve found that a transparent and candid conversation during new hire orientation along with a balanced reward system – part of which includes ‘buying back’ a portion of unused sick time – can be extremely effective in sustainably achieving attendance targets.
Contributed by: Adam Boelke, Managing Partner at The Alignment Advantage Group
This example comes from a conversation Neville Doughty once heard between two agents:
Agent 1: “How many holiday days do you have left?”
Agent 2: “I’ve a week but I need that at Christmas.”
Agent 1: “And how many sick days do you have left to use?”
Agent 2: “Oh 15.”
3. Fire People Who Don’t Exhibit Cleanliness as a Professional Quality
Cleanliness and attendance, like morality, are individual, and the commitment to attendance and cleanliness should be encouraged as professional qualities.
To achieve this, you will:
- Have to include attendance and cleanliness in the interview process.
- Need to ask potentially embarrassing questions about cleanliness in the interviews and after new-employee training.
- Have to build human potential through having cleanliness and attendance standards.
- Exemplify cleanliness and attendance to build strong professional cultures.
- Promote cleanliness, exemplify cleanliness, and insist that any disorder must be cleaned before the end of the shift.
Showing people that their choices have consequences, implementing consequences fairly, and approaching problems without criticism will do more good in the long term than policies on mundane things ever will. Teach the behaviours you want to see and let your people govern themselves.
One final reality: some people can be rockstars at their jobs but choose to be slovenly. There is a difference between a bit of disorder and slovenly. Slovenly is a choice an individual makes, and that choice should come with consequences – including job loss.
Contributed by: Dr M. Dave Salisbury, COO at D&C Consulting LLC
4. Be More Flexible! Doctor’s Appointments and Denied Holidays Can All Generate Instances of “Sickness”
If you don’t allow agents to tell you the real reason for needing time off (e.g. a doctor’s appointment) and they aren’t easy to book, agents will find a way to do it anyway! This will likely contribute to your overall sickness levels.
The same goes for holiday! Your holiday request process is of the utmost importance! Someone once told me, don’t mess around with employee pay or holiday and you can’t go far wrong.
The process of requesting holiday must be easy, your approval/denial needs to be timely, and if you can offer shift-swap or holiday trades within the agent community, that’s a bonus.
Once you are on top of this, it will leave you with your core absence instances – made up of genuine sickness and the ungenuine.
Contributed by: Alex McConville, Founder, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’
5. Listen to Your Team’s Concerns to Create a Psychologically Safe Space
In the long term, if your team’s sickness levels are higher than others, it’s worth looking beyond the symptoms to the root causes.
High sickness levels can be a sign of underlying issues like stress, burnout, or a toxic work environment.
Engage with your team, listen to their concerns, and take proactive steps to create a psychologically safe space where people feel valued and supported.
Contributed by: Rob Clarke, Director and Co-Founder of Elev-8 Performance
6. Make It a Conversation – Not a Text Message!
A lot of people find it easier or more comfortable texting or emailing about absence, but a conversation should really take place!
To address this, make sure you clearly outline in your sickness policy how team members should notify you – ideally using a central number instead of a team leader’s mobile!
Contributed by: Garry Gormley, Founder of FAB Solutions
7. Reinstate the Good Hygiene You Adhered to During Covid
Remember during Covid when we were all more conscious about our basic hygiene?
The reason for this was simple – because it decreases our likelihood of getting ill.
So, it might be time to reinstate good hygiene back in the office, which can help reduce the spread of illness, especially during the winter months.
So, what can you do?
For starters, you can take simple but effective measures to:
- Remind people about handwashing and how to do this well and put up posters in bathrooms and kitchens.
- Provide hand sanitizers around offices and encourage people to use these regularly.
- Provide antiseptic wipes for people to use on their desks, phones, computers – especially if people are sharing desk space.
- Ensure that soap dispensers are always topped up in toilets and kitchen areas.
- Provide tissues in offices to catch sneezes.
- Open windows (when it’s not too cold) to keep a good air flow.
- Ensure all areas are cleaned regularly – consider increasing how often this is done during winter.
Contributed by: Gemma Carter-Morris, Director of Wellbeing and Client Relationships at Next Steps Consulting
8. Double-Check That Issues With Your Parking or Staffing Rotas Aren’t Driving Up Your “Sickness” Levels
Ensure that you properly understand the underlying reasons for sickness. Is there something that is driving ad hoc absences which agents are masking as “sickness”?
For example:
- Are there issues with your staffing or rotas which mean that certain shifts are harder than others?
- Are your processes difficult to manage and therefore if someone is feeling marginally unwell, the thought of a tough shift is too much to face?
- Are there things you can do to make Monday mornings, weekend evenings, etc. more enjoyable for those in work?
- Does traffic and parking on a specific day of the week make getting to work more difficult?
Consider what changes you may be able to make so that your team are encouraged to come in – but only if they aren’t infectious.
Contributed by: Neville Doughty, Partnerships & Growth Director at Customer Contact Panel
9. Avoid Bringing Your Own Biases Into the Decision-Making Process
Is an employee faking illness? The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter.
Humans innately want to feel a sense of equity in our social interactions[1]. This means that if we feel that the absence isn’t legitimate, we might have a tendency to want to prove or disprove this view, rather than dealing with the objective impact of the absence (i.e. that we have one fewer person available for work).
Instead of focusing on the subjective validity of the reason for the absence, trusting and then applying your HR processes to understand what you can do to support a return to work is a more useful, pragmatic and legally defensible position to take.
Those HR processes are, hopefully, rooted in the genuine care and wellbeing of your people, and will ensure that consistent investigatory steps are taken for all absences.
This doesn’t mean that the outcomes, support offered and, if necessary, sanctions will be the same for all individual cases. But it does mean that we can avoid bringing some of our own biases into the decision-making process.
Contributed by: Danny Wareham, Founder & Director of Firgun
[1] Tabibnia, G., Satpute, A. B., & Lieberman, M. D. (2008). The sunny side of fairness: preference for fairness activates reward circuitry (and disregarding unfairness activates self-control circuitry). Psychological Science, 19(4), 339–347. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02091.x
10. Give Agents the Time and Support They Need to Care for Themselves and Their Families
I’m a huge fan of the hybrid model!
Whether employees have an actual, verified illness or they simply don’t feel mentally ready for a day in the contact centre, I’ve found that normally on-site agents are still willing and able to work remotely.
Also add agents with families to this discussion. Many will call in sick because their children are sick or out of school with no childcare options.
On the other side of this, however, is that remote work can lend itself to isolation from the rest of the team, which can lead to disengagement and make it easier for agents to call out sick.
Aim for a hybrid model where agents regularly interact with other members of the team, building strong cohesion and community, while also having the flexibility to care for themselves and their families as needed.
Contributed by: Jeremy Watkin, Director of Customer Experience and Support at NumberBarn
11. Lead by Example
The reality is that schools and call centres have one thing in common – they are germ factories. So, what works to make call centres healthier? Convincing people to be part of the solution!
After all, it is a leadership function… As call centre leaders, we are the example and will always be under observation.
If we wash our hands, others will wash their hands. If we do not come to work with a cold, others will not come to work with a cold.
Convincing people does not happen through playing games, signage, or endless stand-up meetings where you remind workers to wash their hands. It will require valid arguments, evidence, belief that the individual is making a difference, and good examples.
Contributed by: Dr M. Dave Salisbury, COO at D&C Consulting LLC
12. Try to Understand if Sickness Levels Are Actually Masking Financial Stress
According to a CEBR report, there has been a significant rise in employee financial stress since the last survey in 2021.
*In the last 2 years 12% of employees have taken time off work due to money worries. On average, this is a loss of almost five workdays per employee each year. At an estimated cost of £237 per day!
To help address any financial stresses that may be masked as sickness:
- Improve certainty by offering your employees access to financial advisory services.
- Offer employees perks or group discounts which will reduce their outgoings.
- Employee raffles are a fun, engaging way to give people the chance to win something that you can purchase through your business. (Employees with more years’ service should receive more tickets.)
Contributed by: Stephen Pace, The Contact Centre Motivator
13. Create a Culture of Cleanliness With Cleaning Supplies and Awards
Driving a culture of cleanliness can go a long way in preventing the spread of germs across the contact centre.
It can help to have a ready stock of replaceable items on hand – foam earpieces, microphone socks, headphones, mice, keyboards, etc.
Nobody wants to use headphones with embedded makeup and other unmentionable or unidentifiable debris stuck on them.
What is the policy for getting new keyboards in your call centre? Do your people know how to exercise this option? Computer mice and mouse pads attract gunk; what is the policy to replace them?
A quarterly cleanliness award with value-added prizes or a monthly cleanliness certificate can also be a quick win.
Contributed by: Dr M. Dave Salisbury, COO at D&C Consulting LLC
14. Use Discretion in the Application of Sickness Policies to Build Trust
Whilst recognizing that there is a need to demonstrate fairness across all staff when managing sickness and absence, perhaps there are times when managers need to use their discretion in the application of policies to build trust and a culture where everyone is working to the right overall outcomes to deliver service.
Contributed by: Neville Doughty, Partnerships & Growth Director at Customer Contact Panel
15. Stop Bullying People to “Get Into Work”
There should be no bullying to “get into work” – instead let the process take the strain.
For example, X number of instances triggers an absence plan, which leads to disciplinary action. This should factor in genuine medical issues requiring evidence and documentation, which can then be discounted in any disciplinary action.
Contributed by: Alex McConville, Founder, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’
16. Lean Into a Direct Conversation
When sickness levels are a problem in your contact centre, it’s easy to jump to conclusions about ‘fakers’ (or the ones who make the effort to come in, only to spread their germs).
But hold on… Most people don’t come to work intending to do a bad job. Sickness is often just that… Sickness! A leader’s role is to support their teams, not only by addressing absenteeism but also by creating a climate where people can actually thrive.
Yes, tackle the immediate issues. If you have people who are regularly off sick or consistently dragging themselves in when they’re clearly unwell, leaning into a direct conversation can help.
So, use the Bradford score (or similar) as a guide, but approach conversations with ‘radical candour’. It’s worth reading Kim Scott’s work on this, but the one-line summary is – balance caring personally with challenging your team members directly.
Contributed by: Rob Clarke, Director and Co-Founder of Elev-8 Performance
17. Be Clear on Your Sickness Policy
To help manage your team’s wellbeing and minimize the risk to others, ask yourself “Do we have a clearly defined sickness absence policy?”
Sickness can spiral if you aren’t clear on what your policy is. For example, some people may use 3 periods in a rolling 12 months, some people may use 10 days across 3 periods in the year.
Being clear on your sickness absence policy and having a clear process for communicating absence is really important to get sickness levels back under control.
Contributed by: Garry Gormley, Founder of FAB Solutions
18. Implement a Flu Vaccination Scheme
Consider implementing a flu vaccination scheme where employees can get a flu vaccination either on site or by using a voucher to have this done at a local pharmacy.
Contributed by: Gemma Carter-Morris, Director of Wellbeing and Client Relationships at Next Steps Consulting
19. Ensure Your Processes Don’t Contradict What You’re Trying to Achieve
Clearly illnesses cannot be avoided, but you can help to ensure that your processes and culture don’t contradict what you are trying to achieve.
For example, counting “instances” of illness within a 12-month period with a number of paid sick days could mean that, if someone is off ill for the third time in the year, they may feel the need to use up their sick days – even if they are feeling better – so don’t return as quickly.
Contributed by: Neville Doughty, Partnerships & Growth Director at Customer Contact Panel
20. Regularly Communicate With HR and Upper Management to Understand Policy Effectiveness
Attendance policies should be crafted to promote attendance but flexible enough to allow life to happen. This means that leadership must regularly communicate with HR and upper management to understand policy effectiveness.
Like all other policies, processes, and procedures, none should ever grow older than 18 months without a consultation about effectiveness with those who lead and those who are led to ensure effectiveness.
Contributed by: Dr M. Dave Salisbury, COO at D&C Consulting LLC
21. Encourage Regular Breaks
Encourage regular breaks, offer flexibility where possible, and consider focusing on the mental health of your team. All these reduce stress.
A healthy team is a high-performing team. If sickness is an ongoing problem, it might be time to look in the mirror and ask what more you can do to build a positive, supportive team climate.
Contributed by: Rob Clarke, Director and Co-Founder of Elev-8 Performance
Done Correctly, the ROI on Addressing Sickness Is Huge
Done correctly, the ROI attached to addressing high sickness levels is huge and the competitive advantage is also significant, as Stephen Pace, The Contact Centre Motivator, concludes:
“By looking at the research available, it is very easy for leaders to create a business case to support a robust, balanced approach to managing sickness levels – against the, now all too common, hire fast and replace often approach.
Not only that, but with the advent of AI, agent value is even higher, because they are doing more and more complex tasks – making them much harder to replace.”
What have you tried to get your sickness levels back down?
Join our LinkedIn community group and let us know.
If you are looking for more great advice on managing staff absence, read these articles next:
- Need to Reduce Absence in Your Contact Centre? Here’s How!
- Tackle the 3 A’s – Absence, Agent Burnout, and Attrition
- An Action Plan for Dealing With Absenteeism
- How to Calculate Absenteeism – including the Formula
Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman
Published On: 25th Sep 2024 - Last modified: 9th Oct 2024
Read more about - Call Centre Management, Absenteeism, Adam Boelke, Alex McConville, Danny Wareham, Dave Salisbury, Editor's Picks, Garry Gormley, Gemma Carter-Morris, Health, Jeremy Watkin, Neville Doughty, Rob Clarke, Stephen Pace, Team Management, Top Story, Well Being
