Absenteeism: Definition and Tips to Deal With

30 of January, 2023

Absenteeism is a problem in many businesses nowadays, and its causes can have many origins. A high rate of absenteeism can also generate costs and staff problems for a company.

We will dive into this subject and see how time tracking software can help you to identify and address this situation in your company in the best way possible.

What is Absenteeism?

Absenteeism is the term used to describe frequent absences from work that are not reasonable and go above the given amount of time off. Chronic health disorders, stress, low morale, and problems with workplace harassment can all contribute to high absenteeism rates.

In a recent poll, 40% of workers acknowledged reporting for work ill when they were not. More so, 28% of those who participated in a paid time off program “made up” an explanation for the absenteeism. Whatever the reason, occupational absenteeism frequently signals a more severe issue.

For instance, several firms will be adopting measures to track absenteeism, comprehend the cause of them, and ascertain whether any significant underlying causes have to be fixed. Furthermore, absenteeism has cost US companies more than $225 billion in loss of productivity every year.

How to Deal with Absenteeism

Workplace absenteeism is unavoidable to some extent. Workers become sick or hurt and periodically require time off to care for their loved ones and run their businesses.

Unplanned absenteeism may affect staff morale and the organization’s bottom line if they become the norm. Leading companies are looking for innovative ways to detect, manage, and reduce excessive absenteeism.

Now, learn eight strategies for controlling absenteeism and building a productive, engaged team.

8 Ways to Minimize Absenteeism

The most successful organizations are implementing innovative approaches to improve employee working conditions and reduce absenteeism. The following are eight best practices on how to deal with absenteeism in the workplace:

Craft and distribute an official attendance policy

Explain what your organization considers to be tardy and the distinctions between unscheduled and scheduled absenteeism. Put your expectations in writing so that workers know what is required of them about clocking in each day, phoning or emailing to notify them of unexpected absenteeism and any policies around absences in general.

Give details on what constitutes disciplinary action and how your business will handle each situation. Consider the possibility that an employee may be entitled to more time off than your policy permits. For this reason, be aware of federal and state legislation.

Enforce policies consistently and address issues immediately

Your company must strictly enforce its attendance requirements to prevent disputes and guarantee justice. Fairness at workplace is significant.

Use the progressive disciplinary measures your company has outlined in your attendance policy to address each case right away and promptly.

Track employee absences

Your company has to monitor time and attendance to ensure workers adhere to the rules. To stop time theft and buddy punching, try implementing an automated system that uses a time clock app, face recognition, or biometric identification.

To address problems and identify patterns of excessive absenteeism, keep records of all absences. Using great time tracking software is the key to having control of your employee’s presence.

Adopt a wellness program

Long-term stress can cause heart disease, obesity, and other long-term problems, including unhealthy and bad habits. Initiatives to promote wellness can lessen stress and reduce absenteeism due to illness.

Encourage more outstanding work/life balance by providing staff with downtime so they may refresh. According to studies, workers who take time off feel more interested in work when they return.

Conduct return-to-work interviews

According to a UK study, unplanned absenteeism has significantly reduced at firms that do return-to-work interviews. A return-to-work interview gives the management and employee the chance to verify the leave, ensure the cause is legitimate, and discuss any worries.

Be ready to provide work flexibility or rework your schedule to improve the issue. Listen and be impartial and encouraging.

Create and maintain a better work environment

Stress may be physically and mentally harmful while working long hours in an unpleasant workplace. Offer your staff ergonomic chairs, clean air, and natural lighting.

To promote social and mental wellness, let your team know that you appreciate respect and cooperation. For instance, encouraging off-work meetings can also be a very healthy way to promote wellness and integrate with co-workers.

Encourage employee engagement

Increasing employee engagement is a fantastic method to encourage more commitment from your workers and make them more eager to come to work.

This entails maintaining a productive internal communication system that allows workers to stay informed about corporate activities, make suggestions for enhancements, and report issues.

It also involves funding training and development initiatives for employees. Employees may develop their talents and become more actively involved in the company’s activities.

Offer flexibility

Offering more flexibility or a timetable adjustment may occasionally be sufficient to increase job attendance. To assist employees, get through a tough time or better handle child care or elder care difficulties, talk about telecommuting, job-sharing, or schedule possibilities.

Reward good attendance

A fantastic idea to provide employees with additional motivation to go to work is establishing a reward program for those with outstanding attendance records.

However, exercise caution with this one and remember that absences can sometimes be justified, for example, when someone is unwell. As a result, the incentive system should maintain workers’ performance with justifiable absenteeism.

Get time and productivity back

Operations will be in chaos in a company without absenteeism management. As a result of sickness and other factors, the workplace and its motivation wane.

Therefore, HR managers must exercise restraint before things spiral out of hand. Recognize the reasons for absenteeism and take action to reduce them. Employees need to understand what they need to do at work with the help of a clear attendance policy.

Using Sesame to reduce absenteeism

Create a healthy workplace that supports employees by taking action right away. Sesame’s software keeps track of all your workforce administration requirements, such as time and attendance, to free you up to concentrate on optimizing talent and achieving key business goals.

Sesame HR includes time and attendance monitoring and personnel system functions. Moreover, the administration of paid time off is subject to adequate supervision and regulation.

Start minimizing absenteeism in your business immediately by exploring the capabilities of our HR software. Start your Sesame HR free trial to learn how we accomplish our goals!