Managing Absence – Hints and Tips with Quinn HR Pages 26

It is often assumed that managers can just pick up a policy or procedure and apply it to a situation and that they already have the skills and confidence to manage certain situations. Many can’t or don’t, so it is really important to help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to be able to manage situations confidently, sensitively and effectively. So, what should your managers be trained in?

• The organisation’s Absence Management

Policy and procedures and any absence triggers • Their role and the role of others who can provide support, for example, HR and

Occupational Health • The importance of keeping records of discussions, facts and figures • The differences between managing short and long-term absences • How to carry out effective return to work interviews • How to interpret GP fit notes • How to approach more complex, sensitive issues • The Equality Act 2010 and the protections afforded to certain groups of staff

Managing Long Term Absence

Long term absence tends to be classed as absences lasting four weeks or more. They can be challenging to manage and for the member of staff, returning to work can be harder the longer they are away from work. Sensitivity is key when managing long term absences. My top tips for managing long term absences include:

• Keeping in touch regularly, probably weekly, so that the member of staff does not think you have forgotten about them. They can feel isolated, so this is really important. Get the balance right though as you don’t want them to feel they are being harassed • Consider how and if you can make any adjustments to their role and the work

environment to facilitate an earlier return to work. Seriously consider flexible working • Make sure you get professional support and advice as required as early as possible, for example, from Occupational Health • Agree a return to work plan and have regular reviews when they are back at work as the plan should be monitored and may need to change

How else can I help?

Whatever your employment-related query, I would be delighted to help. In addition to Managing Absence, the following are typically some of the areas I cover:

• Employee relations – disciplinaries, grievances, whistleblowing, bullying and harassment

• Performance issues – appraisals, managing poor performance and capability

• Staff Handbooks – policies, procedures and guidance

• Employment contracts – terms and conditions of employment

• Recruitment and selection – recruitment exercises and job descriptions

• Pay and benefits – pay structures and job evaluation

• Reorganisation and redundancy

• Health and Wellbeing

Advice and support can be provided on an ad hoc basis or through a retainer service, where for a small fixed, monthly fee, you can access support as and when you need it. I’d be delighted to hear from you, whether you need some immediate advice or whether you would like to discuss ongoing support.

Email charlotte@quinnhr.co.uk or call 01768 862394

What do you know about Bats?

My name is Rafferty Antrobus. I am 9 years old and I go to Hunter Hall School. I am your man for anything wildlife related. My main area of interest is prehistoric creatures. Bats are unique and fascinating creatures. They are the only mammal known to have developed flight. Fossil discoveries such as that of the Icaronycteris have proven that bats have been around for 50-60 million years. Scientists believe that bats developed from small rodent-like animals and it was only later that they developed flight as a means to escape predators and to catch flying insects. They then further evolved to use echolocation which allows them to hunt for prey by producing a high pitched sound and then waiting for the echo to return. There is thought to be 1400 species of bats worldwide and there is now 10 recorded species to have been found in Cumbria.

An introduction to Cumberland Bat Group

Cumberland Bat Group Bats play an important role in the environment. Some plant life depends partly or wholly on bats to pollinate their flowers or spread their seeds, while other bats

Brown long-eared (Plecotus Auritus) also help control pests by eating insects. Here in the UK, some bats are ‘indicator species’ because changes to these bat populations can indicate changes in aspects of biodiversity. Of the 18 species of bat found in the British Isles, 10 have been recorded in Cumbria. Five of the most frequently recorded bat species in Eden District include:

Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and the Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) Pipistrelles are the commonest and most widespread of all British bat species. These are two very similar species and often the easiest way to tell them apart is from the frequency of their echolocation calls. Pipistrelles are the bats that you are most likely to see. They appear fast and jerky in flight as they dodge about pursuing small insects which the bats catch and eat on the wing by ‘aerial hawking’. A single pipistrelle can consume up to 3,000 insects in one night! Soprano pipistrelles are selective in their habitat use. Feeding in wetland habitats, for example over lakes and rivers, and around

woodland edges, tree lines or hedgerows, and in suburban gardens and parks. Whereas the common pipistrelle are more generalist and feed within habitats comprising woodland, hedgerows, grassland, farmland, suburban and urban areas. Both species generally emerge from their roost around 20 minutes after sunset and fly 2- 10m above ground level searching for their insect prey.

Noctule (Nyctalus noctule)

The noctule is one of the largest British species and is usually the first bat to appear in the evening, sometimes even before sunset. Noctules have broad brown ears and a distinctive mushroom-shaped tragus. The tragus is a key feature in many bat species. It is a piece of skin at the forefront of the ear canal. Its role is directing sound into the ear for prey locating and navigation via echolocation. The tragus can be prominent feature in bats and can be an important part in their identification. Noctules have a characteristic powerful, direct flight on narrow pointed wings. They fly in the open, often well above tree-top level, with repeated steep dives when chasing insects. Noctule bats can fly at 50 kph and they are primarily tree dwellers and live mainly in rot holes and woodpecker holes.

Soprano pipistrelle by S. Ashington. Roost box checks carried out under licence

Brown long-eared (Plecotus Auritus)

Brown long-eared bats are medium-sized. The ears are nearly as long as the body but not always obvious: when at rest they curl their ears back like rams’ horns or tuck them away completely under their wings leaving only the point. As well as catching insects in free flight, brown long-eared bats are gleaners, often flying slowly amongst foliage, picking insects off leaves and bark. Their broad wings and tail allow slow, highly manoeuvrable, hovering flight. Their flight often includes steep dives and short glides. They have particularly sensitive low frequency hearing and often locate prey from the sounds made by the insect’s own movements. They may sometimes use vision. Small prey is eaten in flight, but larger insects are taken to a ‘perch’. Regularly used perches, which are frequently inside porches or barns, can be recognised by the accumulations of discarded insect remains, particularly moth wings. Their habit of flying close to the ground, or even landing to tackle prey, makes long-eared bats vulnerable to attack by predators.

Daubenton’s (Myotis daubentoniid)

Is a medium-sized species. It has a steady flight, often within a few centimetres of the water surf. They usually feed within about 6km of the roost but have been recorded following canals for up to 10km (at speeds of up to 25kph). They usually take insects from close to the water and have even been seen taking prey directly from the water surface, using their large feet as a gaff or the tail membrane as a scoop. Their summer colonies are in humid, underground sites near water. These may be tunnels or bridges over canals and rivers, or in caves, mines, and cellars.