Managing absences | 3 tips for 'riding it out' when your workforce is reduced

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Boris Johnson’s announcement in early January that we must all ‘ride out the Omicron wave’ was met with a mixed reaction, as daily COVID cases hit a record 200,000, and UK workforces were warned of 25% absence rates. Is it a wave, or a tsunami (as Nicola Sturgeon would argue)?

Sea-based analogies aside, Omicron cases already look to be peaking. But staffing problems caused by COVID absences continue to hit businesses hard. With understaffing already an issue pre-Omicron, many businesses have no choice but to ‘ride out the wave’ and hope that they can cling on.

Surely there are ways to ensure a smoother, less choppy ride?

Here are our top tips for dealing with increased absences.