HR Case Manager is an element within the Empactis system to assist managers with the monitoring, recording and the management of absence. It went live across Mersey Care on 2 July 2024.
It is an integrated system with Absence Manager. It provides management and divisions with a complete integrated overview of all absence cases for their designated area or team. Case Manager aims to help managers to proactively support, monitor and manage all aspects of colleagues' physical, social and mental health and wellbeing.
Following the Case Manager launch, slides 5 to 9 of the eLearning package has now been updated to include how managers associate absences within the system. Please can you take the time to re-visit the eLearning to familiarise yourselves.
All managers are asked to take this short online course to understand the new system.
Since going live the team has received feedback regarding the volume of email notifications. The reason for these emails is because the system works on a task notification basis (called RADAR) so colleagues will receive a notification for each task that you are required to do. As the system is new these emails will be at an increased volume over the next couple of weeks whilst the system gets up and running and management get cases to where they need to be.
We have also received feedback regarding the task asking manager to associate absences. At the start of every stage a staff member triggers it will ask you to associate the absences that have triggered that stage, this will then make sure that these absences are populated in the meeting notes form and any outcome letters throughout the system. It is imperative that manager associate absences otherwise the correspondence in the system will not be accurate.
Finally, we have received feedback regarding the task notification for return to work. HR Case Manager does a prompt task to remind you to complete the return to work within Absence Manager, if you haven’t already done so. All you need to do is click complete. It will not ask you to complete a Return to Work discussion – this is merely a reminder prompt.
Q: What is HR Case Manager?
A: HR Case Manager is an element within the Empactis system to assist managers with the monitoring, recording and the management of sickness absence. It went live in July 2024 and training was promoted in advance - click this link to access the training
You can access the Empactis system by clicking this link and there is a desktop shortcut on your computer screen labelled ‘Empactis’.
Q: Why am I receiving emails?
A: If you are a line manager for a member of staff who has had a short term sickness absence in the last 12 months that has triggered stages, you will be emailed a notification regarding any tasks outstanding with those staff.
If you have a member of staff who is off with long term sickness currently and have triggered the long-term sickness duration stages then you will also receive email notifications advising of tasks outstanding for them.
Q: Why am I receiving email notifications for staff who I have already actioned on a stage?
A: To enable the system HR provided Empactis with what is call the “inflight sickness data.” This data included details of staff and what stages of sickness monitoring they are on. If you did not provide HR with the updated sickness stage letter and information staff will have been placed on the stage HR was aware of at the time. This means that some amendments will need to be made in the system.
Q: Why am I receiving an email notification regarding a Return to Work task which I have already done in Absence Manager?
A: HR Case Manager does a prompt task to remind you to complete the return to work if you haven’t already done so, you just need to click complete. It will not ask you to complete again it is merely a reminder prompt.
Q: What does it mean when the system asks me to associate absences?
A: At the start of every stage a staff member triggers it will ask you to associate the absences that have triggered that stage, this will then ensure these absences are populated in the meeting notes form and any outcome letters throughout the system.
Q: Why am I receiving so many emails notifications?
A: The system works on a task notification basis so you will receive a notification for each task that is needed. There will be an increased volume over the next couple of weeks whilst the system gets up and running and management get cases to where they need to be.
Q: What if I receive notification for colleagues who I do not manager/supervise, or I am not receiving notifications for those I do manage/supervise?
A: HR Case Manager is aligned to the ESR Hierarchy therefore you need to ensure this is accurate and always maintained correctly. If you receive a notification for a colleague that you do not line manage, please email the above relevant divisional HR team and ESR admin to advise that you are not the supervisor and double delete the email please.
If you do not have access/ information for appropriate colleagues then please email ESR Admin. Ask who is recorded in the ESR Hierarchy as their supervisor and request to amend to the correct supervisor.
Q: What do I do if it is telling me a member of staff is on a stage that I don’t believe they are on?
A: If you are concerned that a member of staff is on a wrong stage, or any information is incorrect then please contact you relevant divisional HR Team via the below email address:
Trust Wide Support Services – corporateandIMsickness
Secure Care Division - securedivision
Mental Health Care Division – MHCD
Community Care Division - communitycaredivisionhrteam
Q: Why is the case classed as OPEN?
A: The case will assign as OPEN as this means that the employee is open due to being on a stage. All employees on a stage will show as open.
Q: Why is the staging letter not including the associated absences?
A: Prior to opening the task to generate the staging letter to the employee you will need to associate the relevant absence so it pulls through to the letter. Please refer to the updated e-learning package for guidance on how to do this.
Q: The system is not allowing me (the case manager) to move the case on when confirming the status of OH referral. Why is this?
A: The absences must be associated before the case manager completes any task within the system. It will get stuck at this stage if the absences haven’t been associated.
Q: I’m receiving tasks for the same employee for both STS and LTS, but the employee has resumed.
A: If the employee triggered a STS stage which was not completed before going off on a period of long-term sick, the STS will still need to be completed (once the employee has resumed to work). This will remain as an open case on the system until it is completed.
Once the employee has resumed from LTS and the RTW form has been completed within Absence Manager, Case Manager will send you a task to confirm that the employee resumed. This will then close the LTS case, and you can pick up the actions in relation to STS. You may have 2 outstanding actions to complete in relation to LTS. You need to ensure you confirm that the employee has resumed (if this is the case).
Q: An employee has just triggered for LTS, but I don’t feel it is appropriate to hold the review meeting just yet due to the circumstances. Can the case be closed and then re-opened once I’m progressing with the stages?
A: All LTS cases must remain open in Case Manager. If you feel that you’d like to slow down the stage review process for any reason, please ensure you discuss this with your HR Advisor in the first instance. If agreeable, then you could file the email prompts you are receiving for that employee’s LTS and make a note within the system with the reason why this is being slowed down and include the name of the HR Advisor this has been discussed/agreed with to ensure an audit trail.
Q: The outcome letters that I am completing within the system don’t have any of the absence information contained within the outcome letter. Why is this?
A: The direct absences linked to that review stage MUST be associated (ticked on Absence Manager) before completing any task and progressing with the outcome notes and letters. If you have produced outcome notes/letters that have no associated absence information, then please contact your HR representative via the generic email address who can help you with this.
Q: If I add a note in the system confirming that I do not want to progress a sickness stage, will this be picked up by the HR Team/Empactis Case Manager system to be closed?
A: No. Firstly, you must speak to your HR Advisor about the possibility of not progressing any stage. If it is agreed that the stage will not be progressed, then HR can make arrangements to either close the case or remain on continued monitoring (on the current stage) depending on where the employee is in relation to staging as per Policy.
Q: Empactis has prompted me that a member of staff has triggered a STS stage, however, I carried out the review meeting before the system went live on 02/07/24. I have dragged and dropped the original letter within the Case Manager system. Will HR/Empactis Case Manager pick this up and update the stages so that this is correct?
A: Dragging and dropping letters will not update the Case Manager system. You should still go through your outstanding tasks to complete the process and copy and paste the information from the original letter into the letters within the template document. If you need any help with this then please contact your HR representative via the generic email address.