Absenteeism is excessive when one continuously fails to come to work without prior notice. According to SHRM, it is defined as two or more occurrences of unexcused absence within 30 days. This guideline will help the employer find out exactly when absenteeism is crossing the line from just occasional reasons to excessive and will affect productivity and team dynamics negatively. While some absenteeism is unavoidable-people get sick, have doctor’s appointments or simply need time off for vacations or personal commitments-it can also be unrealistic times to expect perfect attendance on the part of every employee.
Absenteeism can strain operations when it becomes regular and unplanned, adding more loads to the responsibilities of other team members. This calls for an effective employee absence management system wherein the organisations could track absenteeism patterns, grant or reject leaves, and take corrective measures if there is a need observed. A well-laid policy communicated properly helps an organisation ensure that absenteeism does not affect overall performance.
Communicate the Attendance Policy
communicate your attendance policies clearly in your employee handbook. This will be a strong reference should you have to discuss cases of excessive absenteeism with an employee. If you need to talk about an employee’s attendance record, refer them back to what was stated in the handbook when they joined your company. Attendance and punctuality need to be spelt out as part of the critical job-related responsibilities of each employee, which is directly linked to their job description. It is also a reminder to the employees of what they accept when they choose the job. A clearly defined attendance policy helps set boundaries and gives you and the employee clear-cut guidelines to follow should a situation arise. If your team knows upfront what is expected, it creates equity and consistency to handle future problems that may arise with their attendance.
Let Employees Know You Care—Know Why They’re Absent
When people do not come to work very often it is easy to assume a lot about them. You may believe that they are lazy or just do not care about their job. But something harder is probably going on that you do not know about. You have to open up a line of communication with this employee so that you can find out what the real problem is. You will never know how to help this employee in the future if you don’t understand his or her problems. They may have to grapple with transport problems, poor health, sudden emergencies, or even frustration. By handling the situation in a friendly manner, you show your team members you care about their welfare. This is not condoning the behaviour, it shows you what stands in the way of their coming to work.
Address Attendance Issues in Real Time
Waiting too long to address excessive absenteeism prolongs the issue and makes it harder to resolve. The longer you wait – sometimes several months – to take action regarding your team members’ attendance issues, the more you create confusion and resentment within your team. Giving late feedback is counterproductive and may escalate the problem. Take immediate action as soon as an employee fails to show up to work without prior notification or an excused absence. For example, if your policy is to give a warning to an employee after three unexcused absences, be prepared to enforce it right away. In this way, you convey effectively to them that excessive absenteeism will attract some laid-down procedures.
Apply Rules Equally to All
In order to show respect and continuity within your workplace, handle attendance policies for all employees who maintain any position. Everyone, from upper management down to the entry-level employee, has the same standards for which they are expected to be responsible. Giving favouritism or special treatment erodes the credibility of the company’s policies and can create disgruntlement among your team. Consistency in the enforcement of your attendance policy is vital. The treatment of every employee as one creates trust and shows fairness within the company. If they see that management also has to abide by the same rules, then the employees are more likely to take the policy seriously.
Conclusion
Efficient employee absence management enables you to recognize trends in absenteeism and patterns, or whatever it might be that is occurring with any regularity, and then take the necessary actions to rectify problems before they escalate further. When basing your decisions on facts-that is, information and data establish a procedure that is not only clear but also equitable to every employee. Such documentation protects you even from disputes that may arise and enables you to observe company policy.
