Absenteeism: what is it and how to combat it?

For several years now and according to sources such as CareerBuilder, the absenteeism The number of employees was increasing, with as many as 40% workers not missing work due to sickness when the reason was not.

And with the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from USA Today, In 2020, the increase in the number of workers absent from work reached 1.5 million, «45% more than has been the norm over the past 20 years». Among the reasons given by employees were illness, injury or medical problems.

With the unjustified absences of workers, Apart from the substantial financial cost to the economy caused by absenteeism, the company suffers from lost productivity, revenue and profit, and replacement costs.

It can also be demoralising for other team members and staff who receive an additional workload. The one that was to be completed by the absent worker.

Low morale among the team can negatively affect productivity and profitability. But, in addition, frequent absenteeism can also cause conflict within teams and with management.

What is absenteeism?

Absenteeism or absenteeism refers to a habitual or repetitive pattern of absences from work by an employee.. It is often characterised by absenteeism that is not clear to the employer.

It is commonly associated with employees who have weaker physical or psychological health, increased workplace stress or a sense of disconnection from the company. And hence it can be difficult, if at all, for a labour dispute resolution. This is a problem that needs to be tackled as a matter of priority:

• 74% of employees who say their team receives praise agree that they «have a sense that what they do at work is courageous and useful».» (Gallup).
• Millennials and Generation Z workers are «most annoyed with a boss or manager, while Baby Boomers are most annoyed by insufficient pay».» (Forbes).
• And according to the same Gallup study from earlier, team recognition can inspire trust because «66% of appropriately praised team members strongly agree with the statement: ‘I trust the colleagues I work with on a regular basis'».

This is more than enough data to take seriously how to prevent absenteeism in companies.

How to prevent it in the company?

There are different ways to prevent absenteeism, However, the following 4 steps bring any company closer to this goal:

1. Create an attendance policy for employees.. The rules need to be clear and the policy therefore needs to be simple: show up on time, as scheduled. A formal attendance policy makes expectations for work behaviour and disciplinary action clear to all team members. The aim should be to avoid subjectivity and to define what each type of absence means in clear and simple language.
2. Enforcing the attendance policy. A pattern of employee absenteeism is something that develops over time. and may already be seen as accepted behaviour by the time the problem comes to management's attention. In order to learn how to manage employee absenteeism, the attendance policy must be applied consistently, at all times. Instead of making exceptions based on the assertiveness and empathy, In the case of the latter, such situations must be foreseen and proactively addressed in the policy. For example, accepting one unscheduled absence, but not two.
3. Keeping a record of employee absences. How to monitor employee absenteeism depends on what works best for the company.. An easy way to keep track of your employees' time is with a stopwatch app such as a work clock, which provides real-time check-in and check-out notifications. Another option would be to rely on a dedicated spreadsheet to keep track of attendance issues.
4. Address unscheduled absences immediately. Absences happen and the important thing is not to let it go on any longer and to discuss it with the employee at the time of joining the company. This approach has a positive impact on absenteeism rates as it helps employees to see that their behaviour is taken seriously and does not go unnoticed.

Finally, When it comes to a problem as deep-rooted in some organisations as absenteeism, it is important to remember that what is really important is not just to focus on the symptoms, but to discover the root cause.. And, equally important, it is equally important to reward good behaviour.

Because what about the employees who show up on time every day and keep the business running smoothly in the background? Do they deserve to be rewarded for not practising absenteeism, for not having unexcused absences? Do you know Edenred Gift?