How to Deal with Absenteeism

Absenteeism, in laymen terms, is so much more than just not showing up to work. According to Labour Guide, being absent means arriving late, leaving early, extended tea or lunch breaks, attending to private business during working hours, feigned illness and other unexplained absences from the workstation or from the premises.

The basics of an employee contract demands the worker to arrive at work on time, work their contracted hours and focus on work within those hours. By not doing what was contractually agreed, is breach of contract. What’s more, this fact is backed by Common Law, Statutes, and Company Rules and Regulations.

Yet, being the law is not always a good enough deterrent. Businesses run losses because work is not being completed, client expectations suffer and time is ‘wasted’ by the managerial staff who struggle with the consequences – not to mention the low morale of the other team members who need to pick up the slack. So how do you deal with absenteeism?

Well, there are many reasons why someone might stay away from work. For the employee, it is important that they understand that there are reasonable and unreasonable reasons to be absent. For reasonable factors such as a child or spouse who is ill, death in the family, etc., all of these should be communicated to relevant persons such as a boss, manager or HR representative as soon as possible. For stay-aways due to unrest, violence, political stay-away or national strike or stay-away, the employer is permitted to treat it as unpaid leave.

However, deliberate absenteeism is a serious matter that calls for severe discipline. Suspensions for a week without pay or a final written warning valid for 12 months might be in order, depending on the outcome of the relevant disciplinary procedures.

A real and valid acceptable excuse does not mean that the late coming is acceptable, especially if there is frequent and persistent absences.

Make Sure Employees Understand What is Absenteeism

As the business owner, you must ensure that all staff members are on the same page about what is expected of them with regards to absences. Communicating what your business policy is regarding attendance. You can apply the following steps in your business.

1. Create a Clear Attendance Policy

A clear policy indicates what the employer expects. It outlines how and to whom the individual must report an absence. It also explains what the company classifies as an absence, how it will be dealt with if not correctly reported, and what the consequences are.

2. Reward Good Attendance

With a reward scheme, employees who are consistent in good attendance are given an additional incentive. This encourages them to ‘keep up the good work’. Just be careful that your reward system doesn’t penalise individuals with valid reasons for absences.

3. Immediately Address Unsanctioned Absences

Don’t let the grass grow under your feet before addressing unlawful absences. That is the first step to nip a habit of absenteeism in the bud. Note that you will need to strike a balance between trying to address the cause and making it clear that such behaviour is unacceptable.

4. Look Into Employee Well-being

It has been found that absenteeism is often linked to a stressful or unhealthy work environment. Address stress in the work environment by implementing a wellness program, a meeting-free day or prevent work-place harassment and bullying.

5. Provide Flexible Work Options

Flexi-time, remote working, unlimited vacations or even creating a work space where employees don’t need to spend their entire day in one spot with one uncomfortable chair, but rather different seating, meeting pods or allowing them to work on a balcony or veranda for fresh air. Of course, all of this will depend on your type of business and how it functions.

Excellent record keeping ensures that you remain up to date with the current situation. It also helps you identify excessive absenteeism and attendance issues that you might not have identified before. Additionally, it helps you to enforce your attendance policy – including rewarding good behaviour.

A few ways to do it is with time management software that tracks time spent on tasks, as well as attendance software that helps employees clock in and out.