Making a case: like every other program within a corporation, absence management programs need to fight for their own survival. Selling senior executives on their importance will likely require both quantitative and qualitative approaches, according to proponents of such programs

Risk & Insurance, May, 2005 by An Brunelle, Norman Hursh

For Mark Briskie, a disability management specialist for UCLA Healthcare, two types of phone calls are music to his ears.

The first is when the voice at the other end of the line, typically an employee who has been ill or injured due to causes that may or may not be work-related, asks about assistance returning to work. This call is a sign that the worker has accepted the company's return to work concept.

"Motivation on the part of the employee goes a long way," says Briskie. "If they are really motivated, they almost find their own job placement with some assistance from me, rather than someone who just says, 'Find me a job.'"

The other type of call Briskie welcomes is when a department director tells him there is temporary, modified work available and inquires if any employees need an assignment.

This type of call is a signal that shows that management is participating in the program.

"The good managers also get creative," says Briskie, who has worked in the disability management field since the mid-'80s. "They figure out a way to change a job or reassign some job tasks so that someone can return to work."

Among managers, Briskie also says, attitudes and acceptance have improved, and that goes a long way to facilitating return to work placements for employees with medical restrictions.

Both types of calls, Briskie says, are a sign that the injured worker and senior managers have accepted the return to work program at UCLA Healthcare, which operates two primary hospitals and several clinics throughout the Los Angeles area.

For many companies, return to work programs such as the one at UCLA Healthcare are the cornerstones of integrated disability management and absence management programs aimed at reducing absenteeism in the workplace.

With integrated disability management programs, employees who have occupational and nonoccupational illnesses and injuries are able to access the same return to work services, even though they are covered by different benefit programs.

Looking beyond disability management, workers' compensation and short-term disability to employee absences, including paid sick leave or paid time off, and new federal entitlements such as the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), absence management is the next step on a broader spectrum.

Absence management may also encompass other workplace benefits such as an employee assistance program. Such programs offer assistance to employees who have personal issues such as childcare or eldercare concerns, financial or legal problems or substance abuse problems.

"Whatever the approach and regardless of whether it's an integrated disability management program or an absence management program, employers are seeking solutions to mitigate the impact of employee absences," says Marybeth Stevens, manager of workplace absence and disability management programs for the General Electric Co.

According to the consulting firm Watson Wyatt, the combined costs of absenteeism and disability may gobble up as much as 17 percent of a company's bottom line.

Further, in a 2001/2002 study, Watson Wyatt said the number of surveyed employers who use an integrated approach to disability and absence management has doubled to 51 percent from 25 percent in a 1996 survey.

To be most effective, workplace initiatives to reduce the incidence of employee absences and shorten the duration of time that employees are away from work need a level of cooperation from managers, supervisors, employees, human resources, unions, risk managers and employee assistance program personnel.

With that support and acceptance, the absence management initiatives will gain the necessary traction to establish a footing in the workplace.

"That 'buy-in' is critical," says Carol A. Harnett, assistant vice president and national practice leader, Group Disability and Life Practices, for Hartford Life. "There are still employers out there that struggle with whether absenteeism is really an issue."

Traditionally, disability management has succeeded when the CEO and upper-level management bought into the concept. The reality of workers' comp claim costs and the impact on productivity made the case for disability management as a cost-reduction strategy.

With absence management, those within the corporation fighting for its cause may be middle managers responsible for employee assistance programs, wellness or disability management functions. Having seen the results of a sound disability management program, they have the confidence that focusing on short-term disability, FMLA-related cases and the misuse of paid time off will also carry benefits.

SELLING THE CONCEPT

Selling senior executives on the importance of absence management will likely require both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

A quantitative approach begins with tracking employee absences, including one- and two-day incidents that may not be closely monitored. While an isolated case of an unscheduled two-day absence may seem minor, in the aggregate the impact on a company's productivity can be substantial.