Everyone is trying to save money at the moment, and businesses are no exception. I am goign through some cost cutting myself to enable the business to run more effciently. A recent ACAS survey actually reckoned that a business could save more money by managing absence better than be traditional cost cutting methods. So a proactive strategy can save money as well as tick all the H&S and HR boxes.

I want to show you just a few ways today that your business could save money - at least £100 by implementing just the top tip:

1. Move your trigger point for dealign with absent employees to the first day you recieve a sick certificate.

Immediately follow up the absent employee to offer support, treatment and alternative duties to get them back to work as soon as possible. It costs an average of £100 in direct costs, to have one employee off cisk for one day, so if they return just one day earlier than previuosly you'll have saved a hundred quid.

2. If you have an employee who is struggling to stay at work or needs special equipment to come back to work, copntact your local JobCentre Plus and ask about the Access to Work Scheme.

This scheme helps employers fund changes to the workplace that allow an employee to return to work. You won't get 100% of the costs but you may get a large proportion.

3. Do you have anyone off sick waiting for an MRI scan?

Then they tend to tell you they can't possibly come back to work until they have the results and they know "What it is". The government targets for investigations suh as scvans is 8 weeks, and at £500 per week, that £4k it could cost you just waiting. A scan can cost around £400, so it may be a good investment to fast track the employee for a private scan and get them back to work sooner.

4. Develop a robust return to work plan that works with the HR policies and H&S policies.

Not only does it mean you'll be complyiong even better with legislation, but you will save money. Once every employee knows you have a policy and you will follow it, they know they will get encouraged back to work and given alternatvie duties and that someone will be in touch to see how they are doing. People are less likely to mess you about, and if it comes to the crunch and someone puts ina claim for injury or unfair dismissal, the payout by the company will be much less if you can show you followed a rwell thought out return to work policy.

Just a few tweaks to your existing systems could save you hundreds of pounds, and then when you get a chance to look at Absence management from a strategic point of view there may be even more savings to be made. But for now, just try these.

Please do loet me know of any success you have in working with the ideas in these articles.