Understanding Employees’ Absenteeism

Whenever an employee is away from work regularly, it is referred to as absenteeism. This does not include paid leave or times when a company has given an employee off. If you're a manager or group leader, you've probably dealt with absence before. Employees will be absent occasionally for reasons such as sickness, jury service, or bereavement. Absenteeism, on the other hand, becomes a concern when it is regular and extreme.

Possible Reasons for Absenteeism

Over allocation of tasks is frequently caused by inefficiency in managing the resources and their schedules. Furthermore, supervisors may establish unreasonable deadlines, generating employee dissatisfaction. Employees who are exposed to these conditions will soon become burnt out and begin to be ill. Every employee has professional objectives as well as personal goals to succeed in their industries. Employers that do not give enough opportunity for employees to access tools that will help them ramp up will feel less engaged at work. In addition, a scarcity of training and development programs leads to a decrease in motivation. All of this causes individuals to lose enthusiasm in their jobs and take unplanned vacations. 

When your team is not in the greatest of moods, it may be difficult to get them to work. It might be due to a lack of recognition at work, disengagement owing to a lack of commitment to their profession, or a loss of a sense of belonging, among other things. When your employees put in the time and effort to assist you to achieve your strategic targets, they anticipate being fairly compensated. If you pay them less than they deserve or what the market value is, it will automatically demotivate them.

How can this issue be resolved?

Make a policy that should specify how workers should notify absences, how your organization will handle unapproved absences, and what the repercussions are for frequent absenteeism.

Creating a reward program for workers who have high attendance records is a wonderful approach to offer them an extra incentive to come to work. Absenteeism is frequently associated with a hectic or unpleasant workplace. You may next look at ways to minimize stress at work, such as developing a wellness program or taking suitable harassment-prevention measures.

Absences are unavoidable. However, if an employee calls in ill or fails to turn up for a session, handle the matter directly. When they come back to work, sit down with them and discuss what occurred, why it happened, & what they should anticipate going ahead.

If a colleague is missing owing to personal reasons such as grief or mental health concerns, you should offer assistance both while they are away and when they return.

Conclusion

When it comes to resolving employee absenteeism, there is no quick remedy. You'll probably still get calls about unexpected "food poisoning" or the ever-convenient Friday flu. Unplanned absences will begin to become the exception by following these measures. You are not capable of solving every absenteeism issue, but you will be able to define new standards for your company and have a plan in place for future employee absences.