How PACT achieved seamless staff absence management

It’s no secret that schools have an ongoing list of pressures they face every day, but managing staff absences doesn’t have to be on that list. Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) makes up seven primary schools and one secondary, and they have taken control of their staff absence issue with the help of Every HR by IRIS.

• Staff absence rates went from 7.6 to 4.2%
• Reduced the amount of budget being spent on agency cover and sick pay
• Better visibility of absences which encourages consistent and fair management for all staff

Every HR’s transformational touch on PACT

Nicola Johnson, Director of People and Culture at PACT, has worked in education for over ten years, so has seen firsthand the daily impact staff absences can have and how regular staff absences not only affect the general well-being of all staff but also impact student attendance, not to mention the major budget implications. However, since introducing HR software to manage absence, they’ve seen huge improvements.

Life before Every HR was spreadsheet mayhem for PACT with staff absences slipping through the cracks. Now, the school is notified by the software when a staff member has hit an absence trigger. Nicola tells us, “If we didn’t have that trigger, we’d be waiting until the end of the month for that absence report. And the person with the health condition who has been off three or four times would have been ignored. No-one’s done a wellbeing call, their health is deteriorating, and we’ve not had that conversation about adjustments.”

Every HR by IRIS offers a complete Human Resources software solution to schools and trusts. Taking full advantage of this, Nicola and the team have enjoyed the ease of use of the software and the positive impact it has made on managing staff absences.

“The biggest thing since using Every HR is that we’re told when someone has hit an absence trigger. The majority of our absence is regular short-term absence, and Every HR has given us more visibility over this.

“And that’s not just us in HR - that visibility is given to the head of the school, too. They get an email to say when somebody has triggered the absence policy, as well as the individual in question. My biggest mantra in HR is ‘no surprises’. And now there won’t be any surprises!”

Every HR by IRIS – school HR software

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Every HR’s boost in support for PACT

With absence levels nearly halving in the past year, from 7.6% to 4.2%, Nicola praises the ability to support her colleagues and act more proactively; either through managing that person or making a wellbeing call to further aid their wellness and welfare. She tells us, “We have a duty of care to those people who we know have health and medical conditions or whose family member is unwell, and Every HR has allowed us to do better when it comes to managing our employees.”

Every HR has increased the visibility over staff absences at PACT, enabling Nicola and the schools to proactively engage with staff to prevent ignored absences. For example, in the lead-up to staff members fasting for Ramadan, they noticed a spike in absences. “We were able to support our team, approaching them and discussing it with them so they knew we were here to help, and we could make some allowances if we chose to. Every HR gave us the information to be able to do that. This is just one example of many where we can proactively reach out to our employees and make a difference.”

A cost-efficient game changer

Having saved a substantial amount on agency fees and an impressive reduction in sick pay in the 2023 Autumn Term alone, Nicola is thrilled that these savings can now be used directly to improve the children’s education.

“All schools are trying to save money, especially as budgets grow smaller each year. We’re trying to save money everywhere, from heating to lighting to agency staff, so we can spend more on our children – particularly our vulnerable children.”

“Investing in Every HR has been a great decision for our Trust, and it has already proven to be cost-effective. Not only is it saving us money, but we’re also able to be more proactive with our team. Our staff now feel seen, and we have had feedback from them that everyone is being treated fairly.”

“Where one person is off, there’s the knock-on effect for other staff having to pick up the workload, from planning to teaching to support. If one half of the year group is off, the other half will be picking up the planning and the stress, and then they might end up off work with burnout.”

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