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|Articles|April 1, 2006

Staff abusing sick days

Author(s)Marty Stanley

I suspect our sick-leave policy encourages employees to take time off when they're not really ill. Is there any way to prevent this?

Q. I suspect our sick-leave policy encourages employees to take time off when they're not really ill. Is there any way to prevent this?

"Take a look at when they are calling in sick," says Marty Stanley, president of Dynamic Dialog Inc. in Kansas City, Mo. "Are sick days more prevalent on Fridays or on beautiful spring days? If you have one sick-day abuser, have a casual, private conversation and let him or her know you notice a pattern."

If more than one employee is abusing sick leave, bring it up at your next staff meeting, she says. "Remind your employees that sick days are a benefit and that the team and patients count on them. Reinforce the behavior you want to see, not what you don't."

Marty Stanley

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