9 Creative Strategies To Manage Employee Absenteeism

​ In a company setting, it's evident that absenteeism is not only common but also costly because it may result in financial loss. Therefore, it is imperative to focus immediately on the most effective methods which can be used to combat both the short-term and long-term effects of employee absenteeism. With this, you will have more time to spend working on strategy and innovation.

What Contributing Factors Lead to Employee Absenteeism?​

In order to take steps toward lowering the absenteeism rate, you must first have an understanding of the factors that contribute to absenteeism. The following are some of those:

• Depression
• Burnout
• Harassment at work
• Illness
• Low Workplace Morale
• Childcare and Eldercare
• Disengagement
• Job Hunting

By recognizing absenteeism's causes, you can design a better work environment and make employees happier. Take a look at some successful preventative methods you can implement to manage absenteeism:

#1.Talk To The Employee

Before disciplining an employee for being absent, discuss why they're calling in or arriving late. When you're speaking with employees, make an effort to get to know their life circumstances. Doing so will help you foster a culture of trust and openness in the workplace. If they have health or personal challenges, you can help them in any way possible.

Don't presume employees are avoiding work because of a disability or illness. They may be bullied or overburdened at work, which results in days off due to stress. Remember to be compassionate, solution-focused, and respectful of your employee's privacy.

#2.Focus On Employee Well-Being And Safety

​An employee's decision to avoid a workplace that feels unsafe, unfulfilling, or unrewarding will get deeper as the day passes, setting a pattern of absenteeism.

In many 24/7 businesses, including manufacturing, universal health care, energy, and the public sector, employee safety is a key priority. Many organizational leaders fail to notice that the personnel schedule causes important health hazards like fatigue.

Scheduling is a crucial element in employees getting tired, either from working long days or not getting enough rest between shifts. Poor schedule design can cause fatigue and absenteeism.

On the other hand, proper schedule design can promote well-being, although efforts must be made to ensure that workers get enough rest even when they're not on duty. Napping pods and fitness trailers are creative alternatives for workers with long commutes.

 #3.Standardize Flexibility

While similar positions have similar contracts, employees face different problems, personally and professionally. Introducing some measure of flexibility into the working relationship between an employer and employee can go a long way toward minimizing absenteeism.

This flexibility can include providing training and development programs, which allow individuals to improve their skills, advance their careers, and earn a higher salary.

Payment flexibility can be a significant business tool, especially for paycheck-to-paycheck workers. Unexpected costs like education or healthcare might strain family budgets. Therefore, allowing payment flexibility lets employees obtain unpaid wages. 

 #4.Encourage A Healthy Atmosphere In The Workplace

Absenteeism is something that can be affected by factors such as whether or not people enjoy their jobs, they have friends at work, and whether or not they feel like they belong in the company.

You may solve this issue by encouraging them to think of themselves as part of a team by having or doing the following:

• Healthy competition amongst the different departments.
• Activities aimed towards strengthening the team.
• Volunteer work in a group context.

All of these suggestions can contribute to increased levels of employee satisfaction and also be utilized by remote teams, though with some necessary changes.

You may also make the workplace more inviting by enabling employees to design their own workspaces and encouraging them to bring in personal objects to display there. Bringing down the unplanned employee absences percentage can be as simple as designing a work environment that people look forward to spending time in.

 #5.Establish A Consistent Attendance Policy

It is essential to have a transparent attendance policy that is communicated to every member of the organization. Employees need to be aware of what is expected of them as well as what is regarded as tolerable.

Establishing clear protocols for reporting absences can help to guarantee that all workers are aware of when and to whom they should report their absences. How the company handles unacceptable absences should be consistent.

#6. Make Employees Feel Valued

Money alone won't keep unhappy employees at work. Employees want to know they're acknowledged, that their words matter, and there are career growth opportunities for them. Give workers positive encouragement, training, and job advice. Simply calling employees by name shows appreciation.

Consider offering incentives for perfect attendance, such as paid holiday leave, the ability to switch shifts, or salary bonuses. Also, retaining employees is easier when the company provides them with competitive pay.

#7. Make Use of Tools For Managing Absences

You can keep track of absences and attendance in real-time with the help of absence tracking software.

Aside from that, they can provide data on patterns in absenteeism and help you see the success of specific initiatives. You can use this information to make adjustments to your business's absence policy.

#8. Promote A Whole Person Approach

People have specific needs that cut across multiple dimensions. Adopting policies and practices that consider an employee's living situation may help meet these needs. The concept of providing employees with flexible work schedules is an advisable practice that may help employees deal with the issue of managing the demands of work, household, and other obligations.

It is up to you to decide whether to adopt flexible schedules, but it is a viable option for decreasing employee absenteeism. This can be accomplished by providing employees with the option to take care of themselves while still getting their work done, on their own terms.

 #9.Monitor Progress And Make Adjustments When Necessary

 If you don't measure process performance, you may be wasting valuable resources. Measure whatever strategy you apply. Using an attendance tracking system, assess if absences are consistent, increasing, or decreasing over time.

Your absence management tactics may be working if they're dropping. If workers' excessive absence records are rising or not improving, you may need to rethink your strategies. Try a new absence management approach or combine ways to reduce it. After implementing new approaches, document the impact, examine the data and adapt if necessary.

Conclusion

Poor employee attendance can be a big problem, but managing it is something that many managers do not feel prepared to do. Nevertheless, if you keep the aforementioned measures in mind, you will be able to help put a brake on absenteeism and possibly make your organization a happier and more productive place.