How Do I Manage Employee Absenteeism?

Many companies have an absentee policy that gets communicated to employees upon being hired. There are times, however, when absenteeism becomes out of hand and seemingly unmanageable by a superior. Broad absentee guidelines may be created or brought to the attention of an entire team so that one individual employee does not feel singled out. Also, professionals in a human resources department may be used to step in when someone is missing too much work so that it does not create a strain between the manager and the employee.

Excessive absenteeism can be a financial drain not only on a department but an entire company. Businesses can lose money, and relationships can become compromised. Attending employees may feel overworked by having to take on the burden of the missing worker's responsibilities. While being absent for a sickness, injury, or another personal matter is a necessary function of the job market, problems arise when privileges are abused. It is the responsibility of a manager to communicate and enforce some absentee procedures so that employees know what is expected of them and any potential consequences to violating those rules or at least to make sure employees are aware of those parameters.

Create a written work attendance policy, and distribute it to all members of a team or entire company. Require that each employee, present and new, sign the policy to show that the expectations are understood. Employees do not want to be treated as children, but if there is abuse of this policy, there may need to be a warning system or some type of consequence given. For instance, if an employee's absenteeism surpasses a certain number of days over a period of time, issue a letter alerting this individual about the status and potential repercussions.

An open communication system between a boss and employees can help to curb excessive absenteeism. If an employee is feeling stressed about the workload or other work relationships, this problem can manifest itself through missing work. By creating an environment where an employee is free to unload some of those concerns, the emotional well-being of the employee may be helped, which can reduce absenteeism.

As soon as it appears that an employee is having attendance problems, schedule a meeting with the individual. Find out if there are personal problems occurring at home or if it is work related. Introduce a member of the human resources team if necessary, or just work together with the individual to devise ways improve work attendance.