Absenteeism

Is someone in the team repeatedly absent?
Do they seem reluctant to come to work?
Is it having a knock on effect with the rest of the team and the business as a whole?

Poor productivity and days off sick are costing us a staggering amount of money. According to the survey, sickness-related absences and presenteeism are costing the UK economy £77.5 billion a year. Figures taken from the 2017 Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey has found that employees lose an average of 30.4 working days a year due to sickness, or illness-related underperformance.While it might be a free day off from work for the employee, absences carry hidden costs that can affect a company’s productivity and revenue.

At Gravitate HR we have over 30 years worth of experience including dealing with absenteeism. Whether it’s a business issue or relates to particular individuals, we can advise, support and work with you to deal with the situation. We can also work with you to develop and implement attendance policies and absence management procedures to ensure that everyone in the business is aware of the policy and can access it.

Questions we can answer.
Problems we can solve.

How to develop attendance policies and absence management procedures.
Get buy in from staff and employee groups.
Can you help me get managers to manage absence?
How can I reduce short term absence?
Can I bring a long term absence to a conclusion?
Reduce the cost of absenteeism to my business.
Protect the business from a disability or stress at work claim.
Promote a health and well-being culture.

How we can help.

Develop appropriate policies and procedures.
Consult and communicate to make policies live and workable.
Train managers to manage sick absence.
Provide expert advice on difficult or sensitive cases.
Analyse sickness absence statistics and metrics.
Provide documentation to support sickness absence procedures.
Advise on support measures and/or escalation to disciplinary action.

HDR UK has worked with the team at Gravitate from the very early days of our inception, and they have offered HR and recruitment support and advice at many stages of our journey. In the last couple of years, they have supported significant growth in the team, allowing us to not only grow in terms of headcount but also to support improvements with our HR systems, process, guidance and changes in our working practices. More recently, Margery has worked with me to realign our senior team structure to position us to more deliver the next phase of our strategy, an important exercise to retain talent in our leadership and focus our energies on strategically critical functions. The Gravitate team is professional, knowledgeable, responsive and we have valued their expertise.

Andrew Morris, Director, HDR UK

We started working with Gravitate at a difficult time for our business during the Covid-19 crisis, they provided us with great support with the many HR challenges caused by the pandemic, so much so that we decided to retain their services on a permanent basis.

Gravitate have advised us on a wide range of issues from downsizing, policy development, contracts, and day-to-day employee relation issues. They are able to bring clarity and structure to our discussions and help turn our ideas and objectives into practical, tangible actions.

I would highly recommend Gravitate to other employers.

Richard Lee

Would highly recommend Gravitate HR to any business big or small. Being a smaller company we outsource our HR requirements and Gravitate have supported our business for a number of years now ensuring we are compliant on all HR aspects which is particularly important to us especially being a smaller company and not having a dedicated internal HR representative and knowing their professional support is only a phone call away.

Very approachable, friendly and knowledgeable staff, we know we will receive the best possible service whenever we require support.

Gravitate HR has helped us with various aspects of HR over the years and the benefits to us have been the quick response and being able to pay for services as and when we require them. No enquiry is too big or small and we greatly benefit from the in depth advice offered in any situation.

A wonderful team to work with!

Almond Engineering Ltd

We have used Gravitate for a number of years now and find their service exceptional. Being able to chat to a HR professional at a moments notice is a wonderful asset out our company. Their advice is not only practical but also very considered to each situation. As a business we value our staff hugely and need to ensure our policies reflect this. Gravitate have been instrumental in creating many of these policies and being able to utilise their skills and experience is very reassuring. We would have no hesitation in recommending Gravitate to any business looking for expert HR support.

Ken Bell , 1LET

Absolutely excellent service, I spoke with Rae and Laura who were both very easy to work with and super helpful along the way. We now have a dedicated HR system that works with easy to use policies in place.

Would recommend to any business looking for some help or advice.

David

How did you first become introduced to Gravitate HR?
We started working with Gravitate during the pandemic when we needed practical hands-on support to implement some of the legal advice which we had received around restructuring our business after Covid. This initial project then grew into retained HR service to support our Heads of Department and HR Manager with day-to-day HR issues when they were managing with less resources on site.

How would you describe the range of HR services that you receive?
Gravitate have supported us with a range of services since we started working together, aside from day-to-day transactional HR advice we have also worked together on more strategic projects such as policy reviews, legislative changes, restructuring and change management.
Gravitate have also supported our management team with an onsite training workshop, and remote advice & coaching support on HR/ER issues. They also act as a strategic sounding board to help the General Manager crystallize his strategic vision for the team and how best to implement this.

What change has this allowed the organisation to realise and how have Gravitate HR specifically contributed to this.
This year we have been working on a wide program of cultural change in our organization, based on a vision for our intended optimal Guest Experience and Employee Culture in the hotel. Gravitate have helped support us with the implementation of this from a people perspective including enhancing our Employer Value Proposition, changing our Organization Chart, and improving our Employer Branding.

What do you value in the relationship with Gravitate that has moved the relationship from the initial project to a retained one?
What we value most about Gravitate is the personal relationships and service, we work very closely with the same two advisors who over time have built up an extensive and intimate knowledge of our business, team and culture. I have worked with other HR consultants before where you never speak to the same person twice, but through our relationship with Gravitate they have become an extended part of our hotel team.

Would you recommend this outsourced service to other organisations?
I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Gravitate to other companies who want to enhance & develop their HR resource in a professional and cost effective way.

Hilton Garden Inn Heathrow

We have worked with the Gravitate HR team for the last ten years. Initially their remit was to ensure that our staff guidance, employment policies and procedures were kept up to date on an annually basis. However as we have grown from 15 to 70 staff members Margery, Neil, Laura and the team have provided invaluable advice and support to our business. This has ranged from helping to resolve complicated staff issues through to providing support for our annual appraisals. They have effectively become like our own HR department.

Stuart Gray, Managing Director, Thomson Gray Ltd

We started working with Gravitate HR when we needed HR support in reviewing our terms and conditions, policies and procedures. This initial project then grew into retained HR service to support our Managers with day-to-day HR issues.

Gravitate have supported us with a range of services since we started working together, aside from day-to-day transactional HR advice we have also worked together on more strategic projects such as policy and contractual reviews.

Gravitate have also supported our management team onsite and remotely with advice on various HR issues. They act as a strategic sounding board to the Directors and we feel confident we’re approaching any HR issues the right way. Their team demonstrate an excellent balance of professionalism, advice and support to all aspects of HR advice.

What we value most about Gravitate is the experienced hands-on support we receive. There is always someone at the end of the line and our HR Manager has an excellent understanding of our business and HR requirements, and always offers practical advice. Gravitate HR generally work with us remotely, but on occasion, have come on-site when required, and this blended approach works extremely well for us.

I would highly recommend Gravitate HR as an HR partner to other companies.

Fiona McKaig , Director Glenalmond Timber