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Reducing Absenteeism in The Workplace

This document discusses reducing absenteeism in the workplace. It begins by defining absenteeism and explaining its negative effects on both employers and employees, such as reduced productivity and morale. Common causes of absenteeism are then outlined, including stress, illness, care responsibilities, and mental health issues. Finally, tips are provided for reducing absenteeism, such as creating an attendance policy, providing support to absent employees, reducing workplace stress, giving feedback, and rewarding good attendance.

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Manja Bersatu
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80 views6 pages

Reducing Absenteeism in The Workplace

This document discusses reducing absenteeism in the workplace. It begins by defining absenteeism and explaining its negative effects on both employers and employees, such as reduced productivity and morale. Common causes of absenteeism are then outlined, including stress, illness, care responsibilities, and mental health issues. Finally, tips are provided for reducing absenteeism, such as creating an attendance policy, providing support to absent employees, reducing workplace stress, giving feedback, and rewarding good attendance.

Uploaded by

Manja Bersatu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reducing Absenteeism in the Workplace

Absenteeism is the term given when an employee is habitually and frequently


absent from work. This excludes paid leave and occasions where an employer
has granted an employee time off.

If you’re a manager, supervisor, or team leader, you’ll have likely experienced


cases of absenteeism. You should know that staff will be absent from time to
time, such as for illness, jury duty, or bereavement. However, when absenteeism
is frequent and excessive it begins to become a problem.

This article offers a detailed understanding of absenteeism in the workplace. It


explains what causes employee absenteeism and looks at ways to reduce it in
your workplace.

The Effects of Absenteeism


Absenteeism in the workplace affects both employers and employees alike.

Some consequences for employers include:

 Reduced productivity levels.


 High administration costs.
 Increased labour costs if you hire replacement temporary workers.
 Understaffing which could lead to poor customer service.
 Poor morale among colleagues. This will be particularly prevalent if
employees constantly have to fill in for absent staff and if they don’t see any
retributions for absence.
On the other hand, the consequences for the absent member of staff include:

 Loss of pay for their time off.


 Reduced productivity on their return to work due to a need to ‘catch up’.
 If absenteeism is frequent and unexplained, the member of staff could even
face dismissal.

Clearly, absenteeism is costly for all of the workforce, and it’s important you know
the causes, and strategies to reduce it, for the benefit of everyone.

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Our Effective Leadership Training will provide employers and employees with the


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and practices of effective leadership.
What Causes Employee Absenteeism?
You need to understand what causes absenteeism so that you can work to
reduce it. Some common reasons for absenteeism are:

 Bullying and harassment – If an employee is being bullied or harassed by


someone at work, they may stay at home so they can avoid the unpleasant
situation.
 Stress and burnout – An employee may be stressed because of work or due
to personal reasons. Whatever the reason, they may believe that being at
work will only add to their stress. Furthermore, if an employee feels burnt
out, they’ll feel disengaged from their work.
 Care – If your employee is a carer, such as for an elderly relative, they may
take time out of work if the dependent is ill, has appointments, or if their care
arrangements fall through. This may also be the case if an employee has a
dependent child.
 Mental health problems – This is of course a problem in its own right, and
you must strive to make your workplace an environment in which mental
health issues are discussed and supported.
 Low morale – An employee may have low morale and lack motivation if they
feel undervalued and underappreciated at work. If they feel that their work
isn’t appreciated, they may feel like nobody would notice if they were absent.
 Bereavement – Dealing with bereavement isn’t easy, and work will be the
last thing on the mind of the affected. Absence from work may be particularly
longer if the death was sudden. The employee will need to grieve and may
have a lot of legal matters to sort out.
 Illness – This is the most common cause of absenteeism. It can spike at
certain times, especially in winter when viruses, such as cold and flu, are
widespread.
Tips to Reduce Absenteeism in the Workplace
After understanding the causes for absenteeism, you should then work to reduce
it. Some actionable tips for this are:

Create a clear attendance policy and set expectations

Your attendance policy should explain how to report absences, the procedures in
place surrounding absences, and your policy for recording absences. It should
also contain information about how you will follow up on repeated absences and
the repercussions for excessive absenteeism.

You should discuss the policy with all members of staff and ask them to sign it to
show their understanding.

The policy will act as a resource to your employees about your expectations. Aim
to be consistent and follow the attendance policy in all possible situations.

Provide support

If an employee is absent due to personal issues, like bereavement or mental


health problems, you should provide support both when they are absent and on
their return to work. Support will likely make them feel happier to return to work
earlier and prevent repeated absenteeism.

You could also consider offering your employees time off in lieu and/or flexible
working time. This will ensure people feel like they get a good work-life balance
and that you value their needs.

Reduce workplace stress

You should always try to rectify factors at work that may cause stress for your
employees. For example, if a piece of equipment is broken and employees are
stressing, you should aim to fix it as soon as possible.

You should also implement programmes that encourage employee health and


wellbeing. This should have your employees’ physical and mental health at the
forefront and will prove to your workforce that you value both their work and their
health.

Provide feedback

You should provide your employees with frequent and  effective feedback,


especially when they’ve done something well. If you never provide feedback,
your workforce may feel that you don’t appreciate their hard efforts and you
therefore won’t notice when they’re not at work.

Reward good attendance

You need to plan this one carefully, as there may be genuine reasons why
somebody is absent, such as long-term sickness. However, you should aim to
provide a reward for employees who display good attendance throughout the
year. This will encourage all to attend and show employees who are always at
work that you value them.

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