How can we optimize the use of absenteeism professionals, such as company doctor and case managers?
Case managers and occupational physicians play a crucial role in reducing absenteeism. They often prevent short-term absenteeism from turning into long-term issues. Unfortunately, with the high number of absentee cases, the available professionals are sometimes overwhelmed, leading to delays that we want to avoid for those who need prompt assistance. How can we optimize the schedules of case managers and occupational physicians to ensure that those at the highest risk of long-term absenteeism receive timely and effective help? Read on to discover the solutions.
We prioritize which absentee cases to follow up on in the following way:
A quick and simple solution is to have employees estimate how long they think they will be absent. Yes, you are legally allowed to ask this. However, employees sometimes make incorrect predictions, leading to delays in providing necessary assistance. Therefore, it’s important to statistically verify these estimates annually or fully automate the process.
Method?
Implement an automated dashboard that analyzes absenteeism data and predicts how long employees are likely to be absent. This approach yields more accurate predictions and reduces the reliance on subjective estimates. We perform a multivariate analysis to determine which type of employee has an increased risk of long-term absenteeism at the time of reporting.
Outcome?
An automated risk assessment of long-term absenteeism (potentially supported by an AI sick leave chatbot) assists team leaders, HR, and occupational health services in prioritizing individuals with the highest risk of preventable long-term absenteeism. Additionally, based on these factors, we create a signal list with specific thresholds tailored to the organization, rather than using a standard set of variables.
What is needed?
- Characteristics of employees (both personal and work-related: e.g., age, length of service, job risk level, night shifts)
- Absenteeism data
Added Value?
The occupational health service receives a risk assessment, enabling them to prioritize their work and focus on cases with a high risk of preventable long-term absenteeism. Optional: employees no longer need to call their supervisor when reporting sick but can instead choose to interact with the chatbot. Upon receiving a sick report, the supervisor is alerted with the report details, background information, advice based on the type of report, and the chatbot schedules a time for contact between the manager and the employee.
Related Insights
