Absenteeism: what is it and how to combat it?

El absentismo laboral es la ausencia de un empleado a su puesto de trabajo durante su jornada laboral.

Absenteeism or labour absenteeism refers to a habitual or repetitive pattern of an employee being absent from work.. It is often characterised by unexplained absences from work for the employer.

It is commonly associated with employees who have weaker physical or psychological health, increased workplace stress, or a feeling of disconnection with the company. And hence it can be difficult, if any, Resolution of labour disputes. This is a problem that needs to be tackled as a matter of priority:

• 74.1% of employees who say their team receives praise agree that they «feel that what they do at work is courageous and worthwhile» (Gallup).
• Millennial and Gen Z workers are the most «annoyed with their boss or manager, while Baby Boomers are more annoyed by insufficient salary».» (Forbes).
• And according to the same Gallup study mentioned earlier, team recognition can inspire trust because «66% of team members who receive appropriate praise strongly agree with the statement: ‘I trust the colleagues I work with regularly'».

This is more than enough data to seriously consider 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 a work attendance policy for employees. The rules must be clear and this policy, therefore, must be simple: turn up on time, as scheduled. A policy for attending official work ensures that expectations for workplace behaviour and disciplinary action are clear for all team members. The aim should be to avoid subjectivity and define what each type of absence means in clear and simple language.
2. Enforcing attendance policy. A pattern of employee absence is something that develops over time. and may already be seen as accepted behaviour by the time the problem comes to management's attention. 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, One must anticipate these situations and proactively consider them in 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 like a work clock, which provides real-time clock-in and clock-out notifications. Another option would be to rely on a spreadsheet dedicated to tracking attendance issues.
4. Address unscheduled absences immediately. Absences happen, and the important thing is not to let more time pass and to discuss it with the employee upon their return. 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, with regard to a problem as deeply entrenched in some organisations as absenteeism, it is important to remember that what is truly essential is not to focus only 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 turn up every day and keep the business running smoothly in the background? Do they deserve to be rewarded for not practicing absenteeism, for not taking unauthorised days off? Do you know Edenred Gift?