What is workplace absenteeism?
We understand “absenteeism” as any absence from work when medical care is planned. Managing it is a complex issue that affects all types of organizations and people.
Mutual insurance companies can help companies manage their absenteeism through effective monitoring of economic benefits, healthcare and prevention activities.
The costs of absenteeism
The costs of absenteeism are a factor that affects competitiveness and efficiency which condition the sustainability and growth of a country.
Direct costs
The main direct costs of absenteeism are wages for absent workers, some due to substitution (wages for substitutes) and those related to overtime hours. In general, these costs can be calculated rather accurately.
The costs for occupational disability in Spain are covered through the Spanish Social Security system meaning companies are not responsible for a portion of them. The direct costs for a company are:
Indirect costs
They derive from reduced productivity, the costs of substitution (recruitment, selection, training), product or service quality failures, decreased profits, Social Security payments and, in general, administrative costs (the people and activities involved with managing absences).
When it comes to absences due to occupational contingencies, the costs can be higher (sanctions or Social Security surcharges for benefits, operational halts, reputation damage, material damage, the loss of possible reductions in premiums or contributions for occupational contingencies due to low accident rates, etc.).
Our management model
We believe absenteeism management must be approached from a corporate social responsibility perspective by promoting health and implementing a culture of prevention. Based on this, we propose integrated management that combines healthcare, management, prevention and organizational aspects.
We have prepared a guide to implementing our absenteeism management model. You may use it for optimized verification and monitoring of your management of actions aimed at reducing absenteeism.
Benefits
With our model, you may obtain a series of benefits for:
- Workers: improving their health, preventing accidents and minimizing economic penalties for medical leaves.
- Companies: optimizing the organization and non-productive costs of their human resources structure.
- Social Security system: lowering Social Security system expenditure, thereby contributing to its long-term sustainability.
Our management team
In order to develop our management model, we have teams of experts who specialize in each one of their areas.
Moreover, we have facilities and technical resources that stand out due to the use of new technologies.
Health management of absenteeism
Entrepreneurs can choose for the friendly society to take on the payment of the financial provision for common illness and non-work-related accident, as well as the control and monitoring of this, without prejudice to the responsibility of the public health service regarding healthcare provision. Based on our extensive experience, we have defined a specific operation in common risk and professional risk actions.
Our vocation for healthcare leadership through our clinical management project aims for the best results in terms of healthcare through best clinical practices. Thus, we are oriented towards medicine based on evidence and ongoing improvement.
Immediate Health Contact: athe minute we gain knowledge of a leave, a healthcare team contacts the worker by phone to conduct a first assessment of the case.
Personalized actions: based on the result of the assessment, we plan actions to streamline the worker’s recovery process.
Specialization by pathological groups: we apply specific healthcare protocols and techniques for a pathological group which improves the results of the process. In particular, we offer great healthcare and management experience for trauma cases.
Process monitoring: we periodically revise each case to assess the evolution and make new decisions, when necessary. If a doctor believes the worker is ready to go back to work, we suggest this to the Spanish Public Health Service. In other cases, we suggest the Spanish Social Security administration approve their invalidity.
Healthcare indicator analyses: indicators are periodically obtained to allow:
Companies to have an overall view of their absenteeism.
Us to have information on the effectiveness of the model and areas for improvement.
Comprehensive treatment: the entire case is handled at our healthcare centres from the diagnosis to medical discharge. The healthcare centre physicians coordinate other professionals’ participation as necessary through interdisciplinary work backed by technical support from specialized units.
Communications with companies and workers: our healthcare centres maintain constant and fluid relations with companies and workers to streamline the administrative and care processes, all while respecting confidentiality as per data protection laws.
Our support tools for your management
Through Asepeyo Virtual Office
you can access a set of simple and intuitive tools to help you autonomously implement a responsible absenteeism management model.
- Protocol for common contingencies
A company can develop it based on their general procedures. It can outline: how the worker must act when absent, the registration of all absenteeism cases, management of information by the company, the assessment of the situation of absent personnel and training for the job or reinsertion protocols. - Protocol for professional contingencies
As with the case above, this protocol can be developed by the company to include among others: severity assessments, who issues care forms and how, when a worker must be accompanied and when not, adequate means of transport, analyses of accidents and incidents and the people involved with monitoring the situation. - Protocol for reinsertion after a leave
It offers a series of measures for individual monitoring of leave processes when a worker is deemed fit to work and goes back to work. The circumstances and particular case of each worker must always be taken into account. - Protocols for subrogation
Subrogration within the workplace can pose a difficulty in the adequate functioning of a company’s absenteeism management policy. In order to integrate these workers in internal procedures as quickly as possible, informational and coordination actions are proposed as part of a specific protocol for subrogations. - Standardised leave of absence and leave management This protocol should be used as a management tool that allows the worker to know how to apply for the leaves of absence or leave to which they have a right, and for the company it should signify an improvement in how work is organised, the distribution of tasks and savings on unnecessary replacements for absent workers.
- Absence management protocol This protocol should be used as a management tool that allows the company to have the maximum amount of information possible to be able to take the most appropriate decision, and it should never be used as a tool for control.
- Equality plan protocol The equality plan is a structured series of measures, adopted after conducting a status diagnosis, aimed at achieving equal treatment and opportunities in the company for men and women, and at eliminating gender discrimination.
- Expanded care forms
A care form is a document issued by the company stating it believes a particular case is a possible professional contingency. The worker involved in the accident must submit it to Asepeyo to receive care under this premise. If more specifics surrounding the circumstances of the accident are required, an extended care form may be arranged with the mutual insurance company to formally outline the accident version offered by the affected worker and the middle manager responsible for completing it as well as the details of the event. - International healthcare
Workers affiliated to Asepeyo and resident in Spain travelling abroad for work reasons have a telephone number (+34 934 955 182) that is basically for information purposes, aimed at giving information about the administrative procedure to be completed in the event of travelling abroad for work purposes. This information can also be requested from the General Treasury of the Social Security (by telephone or via their website), on the Asepeyo website or via its User Care Service.
For this analysis, we use the Bradford Factor, which is an index that allows you to list workers who have had some type of contingency during the study period and arrange them from highest to lowest as per the index value. It prioritizes the accumulation of contingencies against the days of leave they cause.
For cases where more detailed observation is considered necessary, Individual Contingency Records (HCI) may be used. These are graphic calendars that allow time comparisons and the highlighting of clinical leaves or repetitive leaves on certain dates to be used to prevent them.
The information must be practical and generic. Special details for some jobs may be attached.
Visit our technology and innovation section for more information With these applications, we offer you real time data on your absenteeism and comparisons with companies in your sector of business and size. Plus, they allow you to analyze factors such as leaves by age group, years of service at the company, type of contract, current leaves or leave duration.
Healthy Company
With the aim of increasing the knowledge of preventive measures and the dissemination of good practices among our partner companies, and aligned with the recent change of denomination of the INSST, which becomes the National Institute of Safety and Health at work, We must raise awareness of projects that promote healthy working environments.
A healthy company is one that promotes healthy work environments in the understanding that health is a complete state of physical, mental and social wellness.
According to the World Health Organization, the key aspects for achieving healthy work environments are:
There are a number of physical risks deriving from work exposure which are identified based on the risk factors that condition them:
- Factors associated with workplace safety:
in relation to procedures, machinery, work at heights, electrical risks, etc.
Chemical agents: on procedures related to exposure to - Chemical agents: on procedures related to exposure to chemicals which may be toxic for one’s health (irritation, sensitivity, carcinogenic, teratogenic effects…)
- Biological Agents: relating to jobs with exposure to live agents such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. Due to their exposure, this particularly affects healthcare workers, veterinarians, farmers, etc.
- Physical factors: related to exposure to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, noise, vibrations, extreme temperatures and emerging risks such as exposure to nanoparticles.
- Ergonomic factors: In relation to the adaptation of the jobs, forced postures, repetitive movements or handling of loads. They can trigger in musculoskeletal disorders.
Adverse situations in the psychosocial atmosphere can create physical and mental health problems among workers. Moreover, they create situations of conflict which can chronically affect interpersonal relations which impacts the company’s results and image. Aspects that affect the psychosocial atmosphere:
- Work organization: designing tasks, defining roles, work loads, flexibility, autonomy, management styles, communication, skill-building.
- Corporate Philosophy and culture: statement of principles and procedures with respect to ethics at work, the prevention of harassment and discrimination in all areas of the organization, personnel selection criteria.
osha.europa.eu: Health promotion at the workplace refers to common efforts by business owners, workers and society at large to improve workers’ health and wellbeing. The resources to achieve this objective include improving the organization of people’s work and workplaces, the establishment of actions to encourage worker participation in healthy activities, promoting healthy living habits and fostering personal development. Companies may provide the resources and opportunities to participate in healthcare programs and campaigns, offer more flexibility for medical appointments and access to information, training and consulting.
Community participation to improve the health of workers, their families and other community members.
A positive impact is made on the communities and the environment.
Some health and safety promotional activities : alliances with public health authorities, town councils, suppliers.
- The path to health
- Healthy restaurant network
- Healthy environmental / supplier policies
- Collaborating on campaigns to benefit communities (blood donations)
- Activities that foster health and safety knowledge among communities
Asepeyo Absenteeism Observatory
Annually We publish the observatory in common contingencies, which analyzes the behavior and trends of the casualties by common disease and non-work accident of the workers, among more than 220,000 associated companies. Most relevant Data of the year 2018:
- Labour casualties have increased by 13.4%, 4 times more than the number of workers affiliated with the Social Security
- The average duration of the casualties is 38.6 days
- The pathologies that accumulate most cases are those of the spine, with a 15.41%, followed by the psychiatric (8.7%)
- 28% of the casualties occur on Mondays and 20%, on Tuesdays
- More than half of the casualties occur in workers less than three years old in their companies
To Expand this information, we present the Observatory of Occupational accidents in professional contingencies of the year 2018. We Highlight some aspects:
- The behavior of the accidents according to the economic cycles
- The incidence by communities, by sector of activity and age
- The 10 most prevalent pathologies in work accidents
- The Incidence of traffic accidents