Knowledge Management and Digitalization Potential in Employee Sickness Absence Management Processes

Abstract

Employee sickness absence generates significant costs for organizations, and its reduction requires a structured management approach. Sickness absence management (SAM) constitutes a function of human resource management (HRM) that remains underdeveloped in organizational practice and insufficiently emphasized in the academic literature. By collecting, disseminating, and effectively utilizing knowledge on sickness absence to enhance managerial efficiency and effectiveness, SAM should also be considered an important component of organizational knowledge management. Accordingly, the first objective of this paper is to identify and systematize the key functions of SAM. The second objective is to assess the potential of digitalization to supplement SAM functions, which are currently reserved mainly for HRM, with additional functions in the area of knowledge management related to sickness absence (KM-SA). This, in turn, may facilitate its broader adoption among organizations that lack sufficient financial and human resources to sustain such management practices. The identification of SAM functions in HRM was conducted using a narrative literature review. The starting point for identifying KM-SA functions was a systematic literature review, the result of which was the identification of a research gap that provided the rationale for conducting empirical research based on a commercial IT platform, widely used in Poland by organizations facing high levels of sickness absence. In addition to systematizing SAM functions in HRM, the study provides examples of benefits resulting from their digitalization and extension to include KM-SA functions. The use of digital tools for absence monitoring enables partial cost reduction through improved workforce planning, earlier identification of adverse trends, and making both more informed staffing decisions and strategic decisions based on knowledge of the phenomenon of sickness absence not only within the organization but also in the labour market. Data derived from commercial platforms, such as sickness absence barometers, make it possible to identify absence patterns, segment problems by departments or employee groups, and link absence to working conditions and organizational policies. In practice, knowledge management of sickness absence (KM-SA) should contribute to increasing the accessibility of such solutions, particularly for organizations with limited resources.