ILPC 2027

This paper takes as its starting point the need to formulate a new research agenda on sickness absence and its management (Taylor et al, 2010). It is recognised that much of the existing HRM, industrial sociology and employment relations literature remains dominated by a conventional wisdom that emphasises management’s reluctance ‘to manage actively issues of individual attendance and work performance…[and that] the processes of monitoring and controlling attendance have changed little (Edwards, 2005: 203).

The focus of the paper is the rapidly changing sickness absence policy (SAP) and its implementation within a major metropolitan local authority and the consequences for employees and for their trade union, Unison. A preliminary study by one of the authors (Main, 2007) of a specific section of the council revealed inter alia the punitive application of existing SAPs, growing cases of disciplinary action against workers over short-term absence and long-term illness and union shop steward facing growing demands as they sought to carry out their representative functions.

This paper presents evidence from the first phase of a more extensive (council wide) and in-depth multi-methods study of SAPs, their implementation and the effectiveness of union responses. The key data source is a survey distributed to all Unison shop stewards across in-house and ‘arms length’ (i.e. partially outsourced) departments of the Council and other related organisations.  It is argued that the experience of these stewards particularly in respect of their representative role provides unique and invaluable insight into the re-defined frontier of control over absence. Questionnaire findings are complemented by qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, focus groups, council and union documentary evidence and statistical analysis.

The conclusions are that the harsh budgetary context is generating unprecedented levels of coercive managerial action against individual employees for alleged breaches of existing SAPs. Union resources are being sorely stretched as representatives defend members on the procedural, moral and welfarist grounds that managers are frequently disregarding.  The successful defence of individual members based upon carefully constructed cases is becoming increasingly problematic.  However, while there is some evidence that strictly implemented absence policy may reduce sickness absence rates, it may also have negative implications for the employer by generating workplace grievances and becoming a focus for union mobilisation and renewed shop stewards activity.

References

Edwards, P. (2005) ‘Discipline and attendance: a murky aspect of people management’, in S. Bach (ed.) Managing Human Resources, Oxford: Blackwell  pp. 375-397

Main, J. (2007) Unison member and union perceptions of, and responses to, absence management policy implementation, MA Thesis in Industrial Relations, University of Keele

Taylor, P., Cunningham, I., Newsome, K. and Scholarios, D. (2010) ‘”Too scared to go sick”: reformulating the research agenda on sickness absence’. Industrial Relations Journal, 41.4:270-288