Direct Health Group

1
Direct Health Group

• A Case Study of Absence Management in Action

2
Company Overview

• 20 Branches throughout Midlands and North
• 27 Local Authorities
• Delivering 43,000 hours care and support per week
• Generic Elderly with increasing Specialist
  Provision
• 2300 care staff
• Inhouse training company
• Emphasis on High Quality Outcome Focused Service
  Provision

3
Aims Challenges

• Quality Brand Employer, Customer
• Workforce
• Low paid
• Zero hours contracts
• Lone Workers
• Industry turnover 28

4
Impact of absence

• Quality
• Consistency
• Time
• Difficult to quantify true value of impact in
  money

5
Initial stage

• Boards commitment to tackle absence
• Review
• Policies
• Procedures
• Handbook
• Competency framework
• Etc

6

• Branch Review
• Procedures not being followed
• Few Return To Work Interviews
• Proactive management rare
• Review of calls to out-sourced HR advice line
• Sickness only tackled when severe
• No discussions recorded

7

• Further investigation
• Exit Interviews
• Satisfaction Surveys
• Employee
• Customer
• Supervision Notes
• Complaints/Compliments
• Quality Audits
• Inspection reports

8

• Workshops
• Line Managers
• - Ask what makes job difficult ?
• What would make it better?
• Show evidence of impact of sickness
• Accept that interventions will take time and
  effort but will result in making the job easier.
• Gain commitment for one month blitz.

9
Communication With staff Tell them
what why when how who
10
Review Communicated each week Problem
solving Branch visit at the end of the
month Impact Numbers not dramatic at that stage
but affect seen. Examples Childcare issues
change to working rota change of role Value
seen Care Worker and Office commitment to continue
11

• Communication
• With staff
• Tell them of the success and impact
• Share the story with other branches.
• Review
• 3 months
• Full Review
• Exit interview
• Return to work interview
• Complaints/Compliments
• Quality

12
Interim Customer Staff Satisfaction
Survey Customer Staff Quality Valued Co
nsistency Communication Know their role and
how it fits in
13

• Key Findings
• Recognise time and effort involved
• Constantly review the process
• Evaluate the impact through
• Competency Framework grading
• Individual - System charts
• Branch KPI
• Organisation Cost/Saving linked to
  objectives/business plan
• Share the results and the success