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Welcome to the EuroPris Knowledge Management System. The table below shows questions and responses from European National Agencies. Select a question for more information or use the filters on the left to narrow down questions based on Agency or Category.
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Introduction: The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is currently examining trends in sickness absence of both operational and non-operational staff and is seeking to explore the reasons which may explain a recent upward spike. For 10 years from 2004 to 2014, SPS experienced a continual decline in the number of average working days lost through staff sickness (from 12.2 days in 2004 to 8.6 days in 2014). However, over the last 4 years the number of working days lost through staff sickness has risen sharply and in 2018 sits at very nearly 14 days lost. The SPS’ Executive Management Group has set a corporate priority to reduce the amount of days that are lost to employee sick absence. It is a significant concern for the health of the workforce that there is rising sickness absence and the Service wishes to compare its absence record with those of other European prison services and to understand better the key factors influencing attendance.
Days lost due to sickness averaged at 19.7 per member of staff. All statistics are calculated by the NI Statistics & Research Agency
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?NI Civil Service Sickness Inefficiency Policy is applied
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?As above including a review of the absence, referral to Welfare Service and a medical examination
How do you encourage attendance at work?Line Managers encourage attendance through a range of policies namely; performance management & reward & recognition schemes. Regarding those off through sickness there is a range of measures e.g. welfare, stress intervention meeting, medical examination, psychology & physiotherapy sessions
What are the most common reasons for absence?Stress
The absence level were 21,9 days per full time employee for the finical year 2017/2018. This includes both operational and non-operation staff. This calculation is based on a 7 days’ workweek, and is the average of the last 12 months average monthly level.
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?Too mange absence we use a circular, which include our policies and principles. To further help the managers our intranet includes a variety of tools, which support the use of the circular.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?The whole HR process when an employee is absent is thorough. This is the current procedure; the employee makes a phone call to their manager and inform they are absent. Then the manager tells a designated person to report the absence in our system. After the absence, the employee fills out a form that acts as documentation.
How do you encourage attendance at work?We do our best for our employees, so their absence levels is the lowest possible. This includes the entire classic HR polices, which can be pay, leave, development and so on. The toolbox from the circular is also used then relevant.
What are the most common reasons for absence?The most direct reasons for absence is; Illness, work injury, illness because of pregnancy.
Absence 2017 2018 1.quarter 8,09 8,69 2.quarter 6,75 7,22 3.quarter 6,92 4.quarter 7,63 Total 7,35 The sickness absence rate measures man-days lost due to staff sickness as a percentage of contractual man-days.
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?The Norwegian Correctional Service follow national policies/principles and legislation to manage absence. The Correctional Service is divided into 5 regions where the 5 regional offices are superior to local prisons and probation offices. The Regional offices have the responsibility that the units have sufficient competence in following up sick leave. Most units have entered into an agreement with the Labor and Welfare Organization on a binding agreement on "inclusive working life" that provides opportunities for more assistance along the way from professionals on sick leave due to difficult issues, training in regulations etc.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?The Norwegian Correctional Service follow national routines to follow up sick employees. There are five important milestones: • Within 4 weeks of sick leave, the employer must prepare a follow-up plan in cooperation with the employee, except in cases where this is clearly unnecessary. • Within 7 weeks, the employer must convene an initial dialogue meeting with the employee on sick leave, unless this is clearly unnecessary. If the employee has been on graded sick leave, the meeting must be held if the employer, employee or sick-leave certifier finds this appropriate. If required, the occupational health service (OHS), NAV (Norwegian Labor and Welfare Service) and/or employee representatives/safety delegates may attend the meeting. The employee must give his consent to the sick-leave certifier being summoned to the meeting. • Within 8 weeks: In order for the employee to still be entitled to sickness benefits while on 100 percent sick leave, the sick-leave certifier must document that there are compelling medical reasons why the employee cannot be in work-related activity. • Within 26 weeks, the local NAV office must summon the employee and employer to a second dialogue meeting. The meeting is mandatory for both the employee and the employer, and the sick- leave certifier must also attend if NAV deems this necessary. Work-related measures must be considered. All parties may request that the second dialogue meeting is held at an earlier date. When required, all parties may request that NAV convenes a third dialogue meeting. • Within 1 year, which is the maximum period for sick leave with sickness benefit, the NAV office, employer and the employee will reassess the situation. If the employee does not recover, but still want an employment; leave without pay can be sought for up to one year. If the recovery is unrealistic and adequate facilitation is done, the employer makes an assessment of the employment.
How do you encourage attendance at work?The Correctional Service has working environment committees at central, regional and local levels that follow up sickness absence. Various activities are being undertaken to increase job attendance such as adaptation of work and work tasks, workout training, other social well-being measures and opportunities to swap guards / departures if need a day off. In addition, we have employee surveys every 3. years with action plans at the local level.
What are the most common reasons for absence?We are not sufficiently aware of the causes of absence to provide a good answer to this question. Employees have a high risk of being exposed to violence and threats. The Correctional Service has made an effort and made an action plan to prevent violence and threats.
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During 2017, there were 953 employees (civil servants and employees) left out of work, 5 employees less than in 2016. Of the total number of employees on sick leave were 592 men and 361 women. The average duration of sick leave (in months) of employees - men is 1.36 and female is 1.55 The cost of sickness up to 45 days is paid by the employer - the Ministry of Justice, and over 45 days by the Croatian Health Insurance Institute, and finally the funds are secured in the state budget.
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?Prison staff who are authorized officials have under the Law on Execution of Prison Sentences have special health requirements for the performance of authorized officials, which is determined by regular and extraordinary reviews, in particular the Health Assessment Committee appointed by the Minister of Justice in the chosen health institution. The daily records of attendance at work and absence of sick leave are kept daily, which must be justified immediately by dossiers of the competent doctor, including the cause of the disease (diagnosis). In the event of a long-term illness and suspicion of unjustified sickness or abuse, The Ministry of Justice as an employer may, in accordance with general regulations, request control of the basics of sickness for all the duration of the sick leave by the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance. then the employer may send a prison officer on special medical examination to carry out his healthcare assessment.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?No special procedures are implemented, and sickness data are reported in the Annual Report on the Work of the Prison System and are further analyzed.
How do you encourage attendance at work?Enforcement of prison sentences is a matter of special interest to the Republic of Croatia 24 hours a day, and authorized officials of the prison system have special bonuses (5-30%) and the insurance period in an increased duration (calculated 16 months for 12 months spent at work), and the employees are motivated and interested in regularly and properly perform everyday tasks.
What are the most common reasons for absence?The most common reason for absence from work authorized state prison officials who must have special health requirements are: work injuries, stress and mental and physical fatigue and chronic diseases related to the chronological age of the general population and special illnesses related to pregnancy and maternity leave of the civil servant.
Prison Administration in Slovenia holds data on work absence for the year 2017, while data for 2018 are not yet accessible. We are processing data for every calendar year at the beginning of each year. Public service employees were in 2017 absent from work due to illness, consequences of work related accidents and nursing of family members for 105,131 hours. Larger part of absence is due to illness (86.22 %). Nursing of family members is reason in 9.3 % of cases and due to consequences of work related accidents in 4.48 %. Absence from work is in comparison with the year 2016 higher for 12.13 %. According to the number of employees in Prison Administration in Slovenia on the 31st of December 2017 of 861 employees for indeterminate term there is average absence from work at 15.3 days on employee.
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?In Prison Administration there is no approved special strategy for treating absences of employees. Accepted legislation in Republic of Slovenia however enables control over absence from work when there is suspicion of misuse of such absence, but there was no such case noted in Prison Administration in last years.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?In case of long-lasting sick leave of public service employee we provide substitute employment of public service employee for fixed-term.
How do you encourage attendance at work?There are no special instruments used to encourage presence at work, but we make use of different measures available in the system of regular and extraordinary promotion of public service employees (regarding salary and title), different forms of education and training, improvements of working conditions and working environment etc.
What are the most common reasons for absence?Most common reason for work absence is illness, followed by nursing of family member and work related accidents.
The sickness absence is counted as a percentage of the number of sick hours in relation to the number of ordinary hours, (sick hours 1 252 161/ ordinary hours 20 099 386) * 100 = 6.23%, which corresponds to approximately 632 AWU (annual work units). These figures refer to the financial year 2017 and refer to all those who work in the Swedish Prison and Probation
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?Our guideline of sustainable rehabilitation sys, among other tings, that we will have about the health benefits per year. The meetings discuss employee health, review of long-term sickness absence, short term sick leave. Even staff who are not yet ill-registered, but where the manager noted changed behavior is discussed.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?Operational personnel call their area of activity and meet sicknesses. The administrative staff contacted the prosecution service center first and their immediate manager
How do you encourage attendance at work?We are encourage attendance by employing good work environment work as well as careful follow-up short-term absence, not just the absence of the disease.
What are the most common reasons for absence?The common cause of short-terms sickness absence is common cold. The long absence due to sickness is largely due to psychosocial reasons.
47,406 days lost to sick leave (Certified and Self Certified sick leave) Average days lost per Full Time Equivalent(FTE): 15.68 Excluding Injury on duty and pregnancy related Illness it is: 13.4 Lost time rate: 6.85% (The average number of days lost per FTE is a common measure of sick leave in both the private and public sectors. It shows on average how many days are lost per FTE in the period measured (i.e. one year)).
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?The Irish Prison Service is tackling the unacceptable level of sick leave we are currently experiencing in two ways. Firstly, by providing staff with the best possible supports to target the work-related causes of sick leave, and secondly, through focussed, structured management of all absences to identify and reduce absenteeism. The Irish Prison Service Attendance Management Policy was introduced on 1st July 2014. It established a framework within which the issue of Staff Attendance is addressed. The roles, responsibilities and obligations of all stakeholders are clearly set out and procedures and policies in this area are also outlined. Ensuring compliance at local prison level with the above policy has proved challenging and as a result a structure has recently been introduced to ensure that all absences are managed from the first day. This structure enables communication between the local HR Office, Attendance Management Section in HQ, and HR Governor. A database to support this purpose was developed which allows for oversight and ongoing monitoring of whether basic absence management actions are being completed; namely receipt of medical certificates, referrals to the Chief Medical Officer, completion of back to work interviews, etc. Supports for staff to deal with and manage key staff concerns include the Employee Assistance Programme, which is a confidential support service for all prison service staff. The role of Employee Assistance Programme and Staff Support Officer was reviewed and additional Staff Support Officers appointed. There are currently over 40 locally appointed Staff Support Officers for prison staff, and 2 Employee Assistance Officers. This support network provides a confidential service offering information, advice and onward referrals on a wide range of personal and work-related issues. The Staff Support Officers play an important role in the roll out of CISM (Critical incident Stress Management). The Employee Assistance Programme plays a key role in supporting staff, particularly those who have been injured on duty. A Staff wellbeing programme is currently being developed to raise awareness of mental, emotional and physical health and to raise awareness among staff regarding stress management and resilience techniques and supports available in the workplace and elsewhere. Resilience training is being delivered to all staff and the other elements of this programme will be published and implemented in 2019. New specific staff support initiatives being introduced include: Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM): It is a model of interventions, which has been endorsed by the State Claims Agency. CISM addresses stress management for prison personnel who may encounter stressful situations not normally experienced by the general public. CISM provides guidance to staff on how to manage and control stress to protect staff and reduce or eliminate uncontrolled stress. CISM comprises of a continuum of care and targets the response of individuals and groups of individuals to traumatic events rather than the incident itself. It aims to minimise the emotional impact of critical incidents on IPS staff, increases the resistance and resilience of IPS staff to harmful stress and prevent harmful effects on staff by working and supporting IPS staff at the time of Critical Incidents. 24/365 free counselling service to all staff: Inspire Workplace were contracted by the Irish Prison Service in 2016 to provide 24/7/365 hour free confidential counselling service for all IPS staff. It is a self-referral service and it is designed to assist employees in resolving personal or work-related concerns and provides access to up to 6 counselling sessions. It makes it easy for prison service staff to access counselling and builds on the IPS staff resources & strengths. Occupational Injury or Disease Sick Pay (OID): In the event an employee avails of certified sick leave and the absence is deemed to be occupational injury or disease related, the employee is entitled to full pay for up to 6 months, followed by six months on half pay (twice the normal limit). Serious Physical Assault Scheme: In 2015 sanction was obtained from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to introduce a scheme which allows that, in certain cases where an officer has suffered a serious physical assault and strict criteria are met, full pay may be sanctioned up to a maximum of twelve months.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?Sick Leave in the Irish public service is governed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (Circular 5/2018 “Arrangements for paid Sick Leave”). As a result of continued difficulties in maintaining compliance with the above Circular and the IPS Attendance Management Policy, a structure has recently been introduced to ensure that all absences are managed from the first day. This structure enables communication between the local HR Office, Attendance Management Section in HQ and HR Governor. A database to support this purpose was developed which allows for oversight and ongoing monitoring of whether basic absence management actions are being completed; namely receipt of medical certificates, referrals to the Chief Medical Officer, completion of back to work interviews, etc.
How do you encourage attendance at work?The Irish Prison Service is tackling the unacceptable level of sick leave we are currently experiencing in two ways. Firstly, by providing staff with the best possible supports to target the work-related causes of sick leave, and secondly, through focussed, structured management of all absences to identify and reduce absenteeism. The Irish Prison Service Attendance Management Policy was introduced on 1st July 2014. It establishes a framework within which the issue of Staff Attendance is addressed. The roles, responsibilities and obligations of all stakeholders are clearly set out and procedures and policies in this area are also outlined. Initiatives have been developed to improve the working environment and promote the active participation of employees in health activities, and to take a proactive approach focusing on preventative measures to avoid injury and illness. These initiatives and techniques for staff should assist in lowering incidences of chronic health problems, reduce stress and improve mental health outcomes for our staff and can be a strong protector against a range of conditions including cardiovascular disease. Employees’ attendance is reviewed on a regular basis and poor attendance may result in a warning, further written warnings and ultimately dismissal, if no improvement in attendance is demonstrated. Employees are also advised that they poor attendance may have financial implications namely incremental progression and promotional opportunities are dependent on satisfactory attendance and punctuality.
What are the most common reasons for absence?1. Musculo-Skeletal problems 2. Stress / mental health / fatigue 3. Back and neck problems 4. Chest and respiratory
The absence levels of the Latvian Prison Administration personnel are mainly connected with the personnel sick-leave and parental leave. Thus, regarding sick-leave, the average number of days per one member of staff in 2017 was 18,88 days, but the average for the nine months of 2018 – 12,59 days. However, regarding parental leave, the average number of days per one member of staff in 2017 was 10,35 days and for the nine month of 2018, the average was 9,44 days. The average absence level is calculated by dividing the total number of absence days of all the personnel by the average number of personnel for the same time period.
What policies/principles do you adopt to manage absence?In the LPA we ensure uninterrupted work regarding the set functions inconsequentially from staff absence in one of two ways: 1) Assigning the duties of the absent staff member to another member of the same structural unit, in addition, setting an additional payment for carrying out additional duties; 2) However, to ensure that the duties of the absent staff member to whom aggregated time for the fulfilment of the duties of the service is set (shifts), the number of the staff members employed in the shift is equalised by involving (assigning for a specific time) the employees of other shifts, but not increasing the number of hours as set for the month.
What administrative HR processes do you implement when absence is reported?When receiving notice of staff absence, based on the report of the direct supervisor, an internal normative act is issued regarding assigning additional duties or transfering to another shift. In these processes are involved three members of staff who prepare the necessary documentation.
How do you encourage attendance at work?When beginning service or work relationship, employee commits to carrying out their assigned duties in the time and place as set by the employer. Thus it is not clear as to what additional kind of motivation could be applied to the employee.
What are the most common reasons for absence?The two most common reasons for staff absence are: 1) sick-leave, confirmed by a document issued by medical practitioner or by information since 2018 available on the unified Health field electronic information system of the National Health Service; 2) staff member being on parental leave according with Section 156 Part 1 of the Labour Law - Every employee has the right to parental leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. Such leave shall be granted for a period not exceeding one and a half years up to the day the child reaches the age of eight years.