At Arriva, our buses are at the heart of the communities we serve. Whether it's getting children to school or commuters to work, they connect our customers to what matters most. This role will cover Absence Management across London with travel as and when required. Purpose of Role: As an Attendance Advisor, you will play a crucial role in reducing absence rates and supporting managers to drive positive outcomes. Your expertise will ensure that absence cases are managed consistently and effectively, aligning with our wider business welfare strategy. What You'll Do: • Collaborate: Work closely with the HR Team to manage absence cases and support the reduction of absence rates. • Strategize: Target hot spot areas with the highest absence levels and produce structured attendance management action plans. • Reporting: Generate weekly reports highlighting areas of focus and deliver a comprehensive 6-month project plan. • Evaluate: Produce an end-of-project outcome report, sharing insights and best practices to embed attendance management practices. • Support: Facilitate occupational health referrals and guide managers in supporting employees' return to work. Your Responsibilities: • Absence Analysis: Identify trends in attendance data and create targeted improvement plans. • Case Management: Support case management through welfare and attendance meetings, ensuring compliance with policies. • Maintain Compliance: Keep accurate records and ensure GDPR compliance. • Promote Wellbeing: Support HR projects and promote employee wellbeing, ensuring compliance with the Equality Act 2010. What We're Looking For: • Employment Law Expertise: Strong knowledge of UK employment law related to absence management, disability, and reasonable adjustments. • Experience: Proven experience managing absence-related ER cases, including long-term sickness and capability processes. • Skills: Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to coach and advise managers. • Organisation: Exceptional organisational skills to manage multiple cases simultaneously. • Empathy: Professionalism, discretion, and empathy in handling sensitive cases. Desirable Skills and Experience: • CIPD qualified or working towards. • Experience within a unions and Industrial Relations. • Extensive experience providing guidance in attendance management, including knowledge of mental health and wellbeing initiatives. Safety Responsibilities: • Ensure a safe workplace by taking reasonable care not to endanger yourself or others. • Consider potential hazards and risks in all work activities. • Comply with detailed H&S responsibilities as published in the Arriva HS&E Management System. Why Join Us? • Impact: Make a real difference in reducing absence rates and supporting employee wellbeing. • Growth: Opportunity to upskill managers and streamline processes. • Collaboration: Work with a supportive and dynamic HR Team. • Challenge: Take on a rewarding role with clear goals and milestones. Role Overview • A fixed term position providing a 6 month focus on reducing absence, upskilling managers and streamlining processes. • Target hot spot areas with the highest absence levels • Produce structured attendance management action plans to be rolled out across the business • Produce weekly reports, highlighting areas of focus • Deliver 6-month attendance management project plan detailing milestones, and KPI step changes. Evaluate and revise where appropriate. • Produce an end of fixed term project outcome report, sharing insights, best practice & steps taken to embed attendance management practices. • To support the business in reducing absences to 4.5% (KPI). Main responsibilities This job description sets out the main duties and responsibilities of the jobholder. It does not constitute an exhaustive or comprehensive description of duties and the job holder will be required to carry out any additional tasks as and when requested to do so by their manager. Responsibilities and duties may also change considering future business needs and personal development. • Analyse attendance data to identify trends and hotspots, creating targeted plans for improvement and providing on-site support in key areas. • Manage and support case management through welfare and attendance meetings, guiding managers on handling sickness absences in line with policies. • Facilitate occupational health referrals by guiding managers to support employees in their return to work, ensuring reasonable adjustments are made where feasible. • Ensure compliance with GDPR by maintaining accurate records and supporting managers with appropriate actions on absence cases and interventions. • Produce absence management reports, highlighting key metrics and proposing actions, while working with HR to identify risks and trends for intervention. • Support HR projects and promote employee wellbeing, ensuring compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and consistency in the management of absence cases. Knowledge and skills • Strong knowledge of UK employment law relating to absence management, disability and reasonable adjustments. • Proven experience managing and supporting absence related ER cases, including long-term sickness and capability processes. • Ability to interpret data, identify trends, patterns and recommend proactive solutions. • Strong communication skills and influencing skills with the ability to coach and advise managers at all levels. • Experience of working with Occupational Health and other external stakeholders. • Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple cases simultaneously. • Able to handle sensitive cases with professionalism, discretion and empathy whilst coaching managers in best practice attendance management techniques. Desirable Skills and Experience • CIPD qualified or working towards • Experience within a unionised environment • Extensive experience of providing guidance in attendance management including knowledge of mental health & wellbeing initiatives to support absence reduction .