The hardest part of being ill shouldn't be reporting it.

Not every illness is easy to talk about.

Some conditions are deeply personal, others can feel embarrassing (even though they shouldn’t!) and many can be emotionally overwhelming.

Yet for many employees, the very first step in reporting sickness is having to telephone their line manager and explain why they can’t come to work.

For some people that's no problem, but for others it’s a very hard workplace conversation.

Written by Abigail Buckley, HR Business Partner, The Ink Group

Not necessarily because they don't trust their manager, but because they're being asked to discuss something deeply personal at a vulnerable moment.

The traditional absence phone call wasn’t designed around human psychology or wellbeing. It was designed around the best technology available at the time.

Nowadays, almost every employee carries a smartphone capable of securely sharing information instantly. Yet many organisations still insist that the first step in reporting sickness is a real-time phone call.

The workplace has evolved. We use AI to help us write documents. We collaborate virtually across continents. We have virtual GP appointments and manage our finances through an app.

Yet, when someone is ill, most organisations still rely on an outdated process that has barely changed in decades.

We're not suggesting that technology should replace the human conversation around sickness. Managers should still check in with employees, offer support and understand what help may be needed.

But perhaps that conversation doesn't have to happen at the precise moment someone feels at their most vulnerable—while they're sitting in a hospital waiting room, dealing with a deeply personal diagnosis or simply not ready to talk.

Using AVA, employees can report their absence comfortably and confidentially, receive immediate signposting to relevant support where appropriate, and managers receive the information they need before making a thoughtful follow-up call. The conversation still happens—but at a time when both people are better placed to have it.

It doesn't replace the conversation. It simply gives employees a more comfortable way to start the conversation, because reporting sick shouldn't be the hardest part of being ill.

Technology shouldn't replace empathy. It should create the space and time for a better conversation.

It's one of the reasons we built AVA.