by
David Giles
| Jul 19, 2022
The aim of this policy is to provide guidance on the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment’s (CISI) approach to absence management.
The Institute’s approach is to be fair and understanding in cases of sickness absence, where employees from time to time will be unavoidably absent from work. However poor levels of attendance can contribute to the disruption in services provided to the Institute’s clients and customers, the Institute not achieving its objectives and poor morale.
This policy covers all employees of CISI. It highlights how the Institute, and its employees can work together for the wellbeing of everyone and to maintain attendance levels.
Procedure for absence
In order to comply with terms and conditions of employment, the following procedures must be followed.
Notification
If you are absent from work for whatever reason (except by prior arrangement) you must telephone your Line Manager by your normal / contractual start time on your first day of absence. If they are not available you should contact your Department Executive Director / Assistant Director, and if neither are available you should contact HR. You should indicate the reason and likely length of your absence. You should also keep your manager informed, at regular intervals, during your period of absence. You must ensure that you speak to one of these people, emails or text messages are not acceptable.
For employees in International offices, if your Line Manager is not available (due to the time difference), please contact a colleague and ensure they pass the information to your manager. You must speak to someone; emails or text messages are not acceptable.
If in exceptional circumstances there is a genuine reason which prevents you from making the call to the Institute, a family member, partner or friend may make the call. They will need to state the reason the call is not being made by you as well as providing their name, relationship and a contact telephone number. You must ensure that the person gives the Institute all the information that is required.
Maintained contact
If you are absent for more than 3 days (unless you have sent the Institute a doctor’s certificate indicating the date you will be returning to work), you should contact your line manager to update them on how you are feeling and when you may be returning to work. If you are absent for a long period, you must continue to maintain regular contact with the Institute during your absence until you confirm your date of returning to work.
Return to work
Ideally on the day you return to work (or within 48 hours) you must complete a self-certification form, which is available on Edays once your manager has logged your absence.
It is good practice for managers to speak to employees on their return to work, and your manager will have an informal or formal discussion with you. This discussion or meeting will provide an opportunity for your manager to ensure you are ‘fit to return to work’ and check whether any help may be needed. If support is required, then an email should be sent by the manager to HR@cisi.org informing HR.
In the UK, if you have been absent for more than 7 days including weekends, you must also provide a doctor’s certificate which can also be uploaded to Edays.
If you are absent, for short periods, on several occasions, which are connected to the same illness, you may need to obtain doctors certificates or medical reports.
Sick Leave Flowchart
* In Sri Lanka, a medical certificate is required after 3 or more consecutive days absence.
For Overseas offices, you should provide Doctors certificates / notes as set out in your terms & conditions of service and as required by local regulations.
Repeated absence
If you have been absent on 3 or more separate occasions in a 3-month period, your line manager will arrange for you to speak with your Department Executive Director / Assistant Director so they can understand the reasons for the absences.
Long term absence
The company offers contractual sick pay, as set out in the Employee Handbook, (or in your contract for employees in International offices) provided the employee fulfils certain procedures.
In the UK there is Group Income Protection Insurance cover for eligible employees who are unable to work on a long-term basis due to illness or injury. Further details are available in the Employee Handbook.
Withdrawing Institute sick pay
Entitlement to Institute sick pay may be withdrawn in certain circumstances including:
- Absence because of sickness without a satisfactory explanation:
- Failure to comply with the absence procedures.
- Working from home when potentially contagious
Employers have a duty to protect the health & safety of their staff in the workplace.
Please take responsibility for yourself and for other people you work with.
Take care of your own wellbeing first and foremost. If you’re not feeling well stay home. If you’re showing any signs of illness that is likely to be contagious, don’t come to the office and spread those germs. You should work remotely but only if you can satisfy your manager that you are well enough to work despite having symptoms of illness.
If a member of your household has a contagious illness you can agree with your manager to work remotely for up to a 48-hour period (subject to review after this time).
Working from home with other minor illnesses
When an employee, who is scheduled to be working in the office, is absent due to a minor illness and offers to undertake work from home during their absence, this may be reflected in their sick record. This may be agreed in certain circumstances and the guidelines are:
- If parts of their job can be done from home
- This is a short period – not likely to be more than 3 days
- They have notified their line manager of their absence in line with the absence policy
- If they are physically able to work but for reasons (e.g., limited mobility), cannot come into the office
- If a doctor’s certificate has been issued for the absence, working from home will only be allowed in special circumstances
Authorisation will be given by the Executive Team or Country Head, who may delegate to the line manager, in line with this policy. The employee must complete a self-certification form on Edays within 48 hours of returning to work
Sending employees who are not well home
Executive Team and Country Heads can send employees home if they are contagious or not well and unable to undertake their job. Managers can make a recommendation to Executive Team and Country Heads if they are concerned that a member of their team is not well. When an employee must stop working due to sickness part way through a day, this is not recorded as sick leave.
Monitoring absence
All absences are monitored to ensure the wellbeing of employees and that this policy is being applied fairly and consistently across the Institute.
Where there is concern for an employee's health and their ability to carry out work, the Institute reserves the right to ask the employee to have an independent medical examination, the cost of which will be borne by the Institute. The Institute may also contact the employee’s doctor for further information or ask the employee to provide doctors’ certificates for all absences.
While it is not the Institute’s intention to penalise employees with genuine health problems, Disciplinary action may be taken in certain circumstances such as:
- where an employee is medically fit to return to work and fails to do so
- does not comply with the absence procedure
- has a continued unexplained absence