First-day absence management is a process where employees must report sickness by calling in and speaking to a live person on the first day they are absent. This ensures early contact, accurate data capture, and the opportunity to provide support or escalate to clinical services if needed.
Sickness absence continues to place a heavy burden on UK employers. The Office for National Statistics reported that in 2023, over 185 million working days were lost to sickness, the highest level for nearly two decades. Stress, anxiety, musculoskeletal conditions, and minor illnesses remain the most common causes. For employers, the cost is not limited to lost productivity, as overtime, temporary cover, and management time all add up, with average costs often exceeding £600 per employee per year.
Organisations are therefore seeking interventions that both reduce absence levels and support employee wellbeing. Evidence consistently highlights the value of first-day absence management call answering services, where employees are required to call in and speak to a live agent when reporting sick. This approach delivers several key benefits:
- It deters casual absence by creating accountability
- It provides an opportunity for supportive and empathetic dialogue
- It ensures accurate, real-time data capture and reporting
- It enables early identification of issues that may require clinical intervention or workplace adjustments
The importance of first-day absence contact is underlined by evidence from NHS Scotland’s EASY (Early Access to Support for You) programme. Over a four-year period, the health board that implemented the service saw a 21% reduction in sickness absence, compared with a reduction of only around 9% across other Scottish health boards. The analysis also showed that when employees were contacted on the first day of absence, the likelihood of returning to work was significantly higher. Absentees who were called one day later were almost 14% less likely to return promptly, and those called two days later were over 28% less likely to do so. First-day contact compliance averaged around 80%, demonstrating both feasibility and impact.
When combined with access to clinical triage and referral pathways, the effect can be even greater. Employees presenting with underlying health concerns, whether musculoskeletal, mental health, or other conditions, can be assessed quickly and directed to appropriate support. This ensures that red-flag symptoms are not missed, treatment or therapy can begin sooner, and unnecessary delays are avoided.
The business benefits of this model are clear:
- Reduced duration of absence through faster intervention
- Lower costs from fewer agency cover requirements and overtime
- Improved employee outcomes, with health issues identified and addressed early
- Enhanced organisational reputation, demonstrating care for staff wellbeing and compliance with duty-of-care responsibilities
In an environment where every lost day impacts performance, culture, and cost, deploying a proactive first-day absence management contact centre solution reduces absence, protects wellbeing, and strengthens organisational resilience.
Contact us today to discover how Lemon can help deliver a first-day absence management call answering solution and help reduce the cost of absenteeism to your business.
