Unscheduled Absence
Managing workplace absence continues to be a challenge for the Australian Public Service (APS).
In 2016-17, the overall APS unscheduled absence rate was 11.4 days per employee1. Small agencies tended to have lower unscheduled absence rates compared to medium or large agencies (Table 1).
There has been a slight downward trend in the rate of unscheduled absence over the past few years (Table 2). The decrease from 11.5 days per employee in 2015-16 to 11.4 days per employee in 2016-17 equates to 45 minutes per employee over the year.
Despite the small decrease in unscheduled absence, the overall rate in the APS remains high.
Table 1: Unscheduled absence rates for the APS overall and agency size groups
| Average 2015-16 unscheduled absence rate | Average 2016-17 unscheduled absence rate | 2016-17 Minimum rate | 2016-17 Maximum rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days/Employee | Days/Employee | Days/Employee | Days/Employee | |
| Small agencies | 10.9 | 10.5 | 4.7 | 15.5 |
| Medium agencies | 12.0 | 12.1 | 8.1 | 16.7 |
| Large agencies | 12.5 | 12.3 | 7.7 | 15.5 |
| Overall APS | 11.5 | 11.4 | 4.7 | 16.7 |
Table 2: APS unscheduled absence rates over time
| 2012−13 | 2013−14 | 2014−15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sick leave | 8.5 | 8.8 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.8 |
| Carer’s leave | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| Miscellaneous leave | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Total unscheduled absence | 10.8 | 11.2 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 11.4 |
The APS is committed to addressing unscheduled absence across the workforce.
Tracking of APS workforce information data over several years shows that when employee engagement is higher, employees take fewer days of unscheduled absence.
Research also shows the following factors can positively impact unscheduled absence:
a. Expectations on attendance are clearly communicated.
b. Managers are equipped to respond to unscheduled absence.
c. Timely and simple absence data is available to employees and their managers.
d. Managers act early to identify if there is a problem.
e. Where there is a problem, managers and employees work together to develop a joint plan.
Leave rates for individual APS agencies.
An online toolkit has been developed to provide managers with clear guidance on strategies to manage attendance boost employee engagement and support a positive, high performance culture. The toolkit outlines best practice in managing short term, recurring or long term unscheduled absences, and showcases examples of good practice across the APS.