Up to 173,000 Aussies planning a sick day today - things may be a little quiet around your workplace!

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!

With Australia Day falling on Saturday this year, Monday is regarded as a public holiday. And as a result the NSW Business Chamber, warns that this Friday (today!) employers will encounter some additional 173,000 sick days, at a cost of $36 million, as many employees plan on enjoying  an unofficial extra long weekend.

As reported on HC Online, the peak business body advises employers to take a tough stance on the act of “chucking a sickie”, and communicate that such unplanned absence can have a detrimental effect on productivity. 

“It's amazing how many people get 'sick' the day before a long weekend, but it's an obvious stunt that only serves to damage personal reputations and morale in the workplace," CEO Stephen Cartwright said.

Employers are encouraged to communicate a willingness to approve leave requests either side of the long weekend where possible, he said, as this can greatly reduce ‘sickies’ taken. 

Generally when employees are aware of their annual leave entitlement and if they have a substantial number of days stockpiled, they will be more likely to use this rather than feeling like they need to use a sick day instead.

An automated time and attendance management system, with EmployeeSelf Service (ESS) functionality empowers your staff to check their own leave records and entitlements, and request/book leave online without having to converse with their supervisor or HR.

In addition, by maintaining a central repository of all employee leave records, a time and attendance management system monitors and record patterns of absenteeism, sick leave, and productivity, enabling you to identify any particular patterns or sudden unexplained changes.

A time and attendance solution can also help you to effectively manage your organisation’s leave and holiday planning processes by:

• Calculating leave eligibility based on an employee’s hours worked and hire date
• Generating real time absence management and vacation planning reports
• Creating work schedules that take in account employees on leave, thus ensuring you have sufficient cover to meet customer or project demands and deadlines

So if you want to enjoy your Australia Day festivities without having to worry about the effects of unplanned absence, contact Mitrefinch on 1300 884 831 or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au to find out more about effective Absence Management and Time and AttendanceTracking.

Source: HC Online

Are you on holidays? Are your employees on leave?

In Australia, January is usually regarded as peak holiday season with many taking full advantage of the summer sun, school holidays, and enjoying an extended break from work. 

However many employers and employees can be unsure of their annual leave rights and obligations.  

Annual leave entitlements form part of the National Employment Standards (NES) with all employees (except casual employees) paid annual leave based on their ordinary hours of work. 

Fair Work advise that an employee’s entitlement to annual leave under the NES accrues progressively during a year of service according to their ordinary hours of work and accumulates from year to year. 

On termination of employment an employer must pay an employee for any untaken annual leave which has accrued. Leave continues to accumulate while employees are taking paid annual leave and paid personal leave. 

For more details on the NES and Annual Leave Rights and Obligations visit Fair Work online.

A time and attendance software system can easily manage and track absence and leave. Web-based self-service functionality also enables employees to check their own attendance information such as flexi-time balances and entitlements, absence history and planned leave etc…without having to consult HR 

An automated time and attendance management system can help you effectively manage leave and the holiday planning processes by: 

• Keeping a central repository of all employee leave records, keeping track of all leave types such as Holiday or Personal leave 
• Calculating leave eligibility based on an employee’s hours worked and hire date 
• Creating work schedules that take in account employees on leave, thus ensuring you have sufficient cover to meet customer or project demands and deadlines 
• Generating real time absence management and holiday planning reports 

In addition, Employee Self Service functionality empowers your staff to check their own leave records and entitlements, and request/book leave online without having to converse with their supervisor or HR. 

Want to find out more? If you would like find out more about effective Leave Management and Holiday Planning contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 831 (+61 2 8762 7888) or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au