Don't let risk management go absent

Businesses are faced all year round with the problem of employee absences, whether they are away on holiday, ill, have resigned, been dismissed, or bereaved. Rarely a day goes past without some form of absence and law firms do not escape this loss of resource.


Risk management procedures are put to the ultimate test while a staff member is absent from work, especially if that person absent is a fee earner.


As with many risk management problems, the solution primarily lies in the sharing of information and in the adoption of standard procedures that will help to deal with a colleague's file. Here are a few straightforward procedures that are simple to put in place and that will help to avoid the confusion and chaos that often surrounds a colleague's absence from the office, whether it is planned or unexpected.


  • Diary system. Introduce a standard diary system and a procedure for using it to ensure that all entries are treated the same way. The biggest advantage of diary systems is that they alleviate pressure on your memory and mean that when staff are absent the information stored in their heads is not out of the office as well.



  • l Case planner. Attaching these to the front of a file and marking completed actions off with the date means that any person who picks up the file can immediately see what has been done on the matter to date and what is still to do. Critical dates should also be marked on the front of files.



  • When absences are planned, such as holidays, try to avoid two people from the same team or a secretary and fee earner being away at the same time - this is a simple but effective way to minimise risk.



  • Keep the service good. If a holiday falls in the middle of a client's case, then manage expectations by warning the client and letting him know who to contact in your absence. This can help to avoid unnecessary calls to your office.



  • Task lists. Encourage all to use task lists, these should be organised by the date of completion.



    • It is important to keep any backlog to a minimum. This is something we should all do and it goes without saying that the pressure associated with backlogs of work can sometimes be tremendous and could be the cause of an employee's absence in the first place. Clients will receive a service that is efficient rather than one based around constant firefighting.


    This column was prepared by AFP Consulting, a Division of Alexander Forbes Risk Services UK