There seems to be a “National Day” for almost everything nowadays. For example, there is a National Sickie Day every year in February. It’s for people who take a day off work on the premise of being sick, but they’re not! To combat this perhaps there should be a National Lie Detector Test Day preferably the day after.

Attendance management procedures

All companies struggle with attendance management. Most, if not all, have a staging system in place with repeat offenders often progressing to a disciplinary stage and potential dismissal. As an employee for a company this can sometimes make you feel as if you aren’t trusted. However, the company has to treat everyone fairly and it isn’t possible to create different procedures for each individual. The company would most certainly be in very hot water, with the union piling on pressure, for potentially violating various employment laws.

It’s sad to say that every industry has its fair share of “Monday clubbers” or “sickies”. Regrettably for employees who are genuinely sick they may feel they are being penalised for the behaviour of their dishonest colleagues. This is why companies need these procedures, however unfair they may seem.

Disciplinary hearings

As a business owner, revenue is being spent on people sitting at home until such time that the disciplinary is heard. This often comprises two to three people in a room going through the various periods of sickness. They ask the employee to remember when, why and how bad they felt. If the answers aren’t satisfactory then that’s it – the employee is dismissed. So, what is this the best way to deal with this?

Often people are genuinely sick, one in every ten people in the UK alone suffers from some form of mental illness. Therefore they may have a period of time where they need to adjust to medication or pull themselves out of an abyss which may seem like a mountain to climb.

Naturally employees occasionally catch colds or sometimes eat something that doesn’t agree with them. When they have been genuinely sick how is the progression to a disciplinary hearing fair?

Many people are unfairly dismissed each year, not because they weren’t ill but because they couldn’t give a satisfactory answer at a disciplinary hearing. Who could remember that dodgy bit of chicken eaten over two years ago? Many excellent employees are lost each year just because they’ve suffered a few months of mental or physical breakdown. This is a loss to the company and the economy. Nearly every time it happens the employee is pushed into a hole and they struggle to get out of it. Often they end up claiming benefits and may never get back into work.

How lie detector tests can help

This is how a lie detector test could help both company and employee. The employee may not be able to remember the flu they had 3 years ago but it’s in their brain somewhere. If asked a direct question as to whether they were sick or not the polygraph examiner and technology will pick it up. More companies could benefit from using this method as part of attendance management. They would retain genuinely valuable employees whilst weeding out the dishonest ones.

Loyal, honest employees will have no problem in agreeing to submit to lie detector tests. Many work as free advocates for the company brand. No company should lose them because of unreliable attendance management procedures.

Ask us how to organise a National Lie Detector Test Day

If you would like to organise a National Lie Detector Test Day for your employees, call us on 07572 748364 today to learn more.