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ARTICLE · 26 MAY 2016

Managing Absenteeism: A Collaborative Approach

Seyfarth Shaw LLP
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Employers who proactively deal with employee absenteeism, and focus on assisting employees to return to work, can reduce the impact of employee downtime and disruption to working arrangements.

AustraliaEmployment and HR
Rachel Bernasconi
Rachel Bernasconi
Mark Stokes
Mark Stokes
Amy Fox
Amy Fox
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Employers who proactively deal with employee absenteeism, and focus on assisting employees to return to work, can reduce the impact of employee downtime and disruption to working arrangements.

We've previously discussed some key tips about handling non-work-related illness and injury.  This post focuses on the importance of taking a collaborative approach when managing frequent or prolonged absences.

Frequent or prolonged absences due to stress, illness, injury or other personal reasons can be a major cause of frustration for employers. However, there are significant risks associated with taking punitive measures against employees who may be genuinely unwell, illustrated in several recent decisions.

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