Sickness absence

DTU wants to be an attractive, healthy, and safe workplace with a good physical and mental working environment. Absence is a management responsibility. In the work with absence, the dialogue between manager and employee is crucial in strengthening well-being and reducing absence. Anyone can become ill from time to time. There will always be different types of illness that necessitate short-term or more long-term absence from work. Absence can be due to both a physical or mental imbalance. 
DTU expects an open and trusting dialogue in which managers show an interest in employees’ well-being. Managers are interested in whether there is anything in the working environment that can be adjusted to reduce absence and/or facilitate a return to work in case of prolonged absence. 

DTU works holistically

• Fusion provides the manager with an overview of the absence pattern in the manager’s own unit.  
• The local collaboration committee monitors the development in the pattern of absence in the overall unit.
• HSU and KAMU monitor the development at university level.
• DTU communicates about the development in DTU’s Sustainability Report.

Brief information about registration of absence at DTU

• Employees themselves register absence from work in Fusion.
• Illness and a sick child are valid reasons for absence. DTU does not expect employees to work if they have a valid reason for absence. 
• In case of a sick child, the employee can agree with the manager to deal with this flexibly by—for example—combining the child’s illness with a number of hours of working from home. 
• To prevent the spread of infection, DTU encourages working from home if the employee has symptoms of illness, but does not feel ill.