Results
- - Sickness absence reduced by 34%
- - System accepted by all unions represented within the business
- - Complete transparency and rapid delivery of absence data and trends across the whole organisation
- - The top reasons for absence have been identified department by department
34% Absence Reduction
Across multiple geographical locations, Coca-Cola Enterprises has three different divisions within the same business: supply chain, sales (mostly home/field based), and corporate functions. Absence incurs both direct and indirect costs for the company. For example, an absent fork lift truck driver not only represents lost working hours, but also carries the direct cost of a temporary replacement. Despite its impact on the bottom line, in the past absence reporting differed for each division, with little consistency and varying policies in operation across the organisation. As part of a thorough review of internal policies Coca-Cola Enterprises researched a number of differing strategies, before deciding to bring in FirstCare.
Outsourcing to a day one absence management specialist has proved to be a highly successful approach to absence issues, and has allowed Coca-Cola Enterprises to apply a consistent policy across all its locations and divisions. Understanding the essential differences between East Kilbride and Northampton, for example, was impossible under the previous multiple systems, whereas it is now possible to compare like with like and achieve a new perspective on problems and opportunities to improve. FirstCare staged a road show to educate department managers and line managers about the service benefits and how it works, in order to instil confidence and support prior to implementation.
“From the outset, FirstCare has consistently delivered against our Service Level Agreement and helped to improve our attendance rates within the first year. FirstCare has not been thrown by the fact that we’re a very complex organisation with many line managers, departments and functions. The team took a lot of time to understand how we work, our culture and our company ethos, and as a result we are enjoying significant benefits from a specially tailored service.”
“From the outset, FirstCare has consistently delivered against our Service Level Agreement and helped to improve our attendance rates within the first year. FirstCare has not been thrown by the fact that we’re a very complex organisation with many line managers, departments and functions. The team took a lot of time to understand how we work, our culture and our company ethos, and as a result we are enjoying significant benefits from a specially tailored service.”
In January 2008 the system began a staged roll out across the organisation; the whole of the business going live by September 2008. For the first time, a consistent reporting, analysis and management system for absence was put in place, allowing analysis of real time transparent data which could compare widely contrasting departments and job functions across the entire UK organisation. Policies on triggers for frequency of absence were agreed and can now be applied, and a structure for conducting return to work (RTW) interviews implemented. Already, Coca-Cola Enterprises has achieved a marked decrease in absence, and identified a number of specific areas which can be addressed in order to improve still further.
Within the initial twelve month period, absence across the organisation as a whole had reduced by 34%, from 5% absence in January 2008 to 3.32% in January 2009. This has delivered valuable savings, the pay back period for FirstCare’s services being met within a few months. Coca-Cola Enterprises is now working to improve its RTW interview completion rates, which empirical evidence has shown will help to improve attendance still further.
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Within the initial twelve month period, absence across the organisation as a whole had reduced by 34%, from 5% absence in January 2008 to 3.32% in January 2009. This has delivered valuable savings, the pay back period for FirstCare’s services being met within a few months. Coca-Cola Enterprises is now working to improve its RTW interview completion rates, which empirical evidence has shown will help to improve attendance still further.
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