The most effective ways of managing absence: the 2009 IRS survey

The detailed workings of employers' attendance management initiatives are explored in this IRS survey, looking at which methods are used, their effectiveness and the tangible benefits that such initiatives provide in terms of reduced sickness absence rates.

On this page:
The impact of employers’ initiatives on their absence rates
Some employers do better than others
Reasons for initial apparent increase in sickness absence
Commonly used absence management measures 
Links between particular practices and greater success
Major sectoral differences in the use of particular measures 
Workforce size and the use of particular practices
The most effective absence management measures
Effective methods by sector and size
Two notable gaps in provision
Our research
Table 1: The impact of employers’ initiatives on their absence rates  
Table 2: The impact of employers’ initiatives on their absence rates: breakdowns  
Table 3: The content of employers’ absence management initiatives
Table 4: The most effective absence management measures
Additional resources on XpertHR.