Employees are humans, too and it’s essential for HR professionals to recognize that they have lives outside of work. For any team member who wants to spend more time with their loved ones, flexible work hours and time off is great. But when employee absenteeism becomes frequent, it can have a significant impact on the company’s productivity and morale.
While reprimanding employees who miss work may have worked in the past, dealing with this issue in the 21st century requires a more creative and compassionate approach. Leaders with improved project management skills can handle this issue in a better way.
You may still boost employee attendance in many ways. Most of them entail establishing clear attendance requirements as well as attempting to create a better working atmosphere. The following are the most effective ways for reducing employee absenteeism:
- Develop a Clear attendance policy
Businesses should have a policy that spells out what constitutes excessive absences in their operations. The number of permitted absences, as well as the absences that will not be allowed, should be stated. Employees who breach the rules shall face disciplinary action or consequences, according to the policy. Furthermore, in order for your policy to be taken seriously, you must regularly implement it.
- Unsanctioned absences must be addressed right away
You should handle absenteeism in accordance with your attendance policy and be consistent in your punishments. However, dealing with unplanned absences entails more than just imposing penalties. You should also be patient with your employees and offer them support. Investigate the reason for their absences; they may be dealing with a situation that you may assist them with. This is where essential communication skills for leaders can help.
The return-to-work interview is an excellent technique to introduce in this regard. This aids the employee’s return to work; also, it demonstrates that theorganization cares for its employees, and decreases the likelihood of absenteeism.
- Consider remote work and flexible hours
Allowing flexible work schedules is a great way to boost your employees’ morale and attachment to the company. As a result, you should think about implementing flexible hours and remote work. Some companies even provide you with a limitless number of vacation days!
Working remotely can help you cut down on unplanned absences. This is due to the fact that many leaves are due to personal reasons rather than illness. Working from home eliminates a lot of the reasons why people might take a day off.
- Enhance employee well-being
A stressful or toxic work environment is commonly linked to absenteeism. You can consider ways to alleviate stress at work, such as developing a wellness program or taking suitable harassment-prevention measures. There will be fewer sick days and reasons to call out as a result of the improved well-being.
One of your main goals should be to look after your employees’ health. An engaged and productive workforce requires good physical and mental health.
- Offer support
If an employee is unavailable due to personal reasons, such as grief or mental health concerns, you should offer support both while they are away and when they return. Support will almost certainly make them feel better about returning to work earlier and avoiding recurring absenteeism.
You might also consider giving your staff paid time off or allowing them to work from home. It will give an impression that you care about their needs and they have a healthy work-life balance.
- Engage employees
Increasing employee engagement is an excellent method to make them more committed and desire to come to work. This entails keeping an effective internal communication system in place so employees can keep up with what’s going on in the firm, make suggestions for changes and report concerns, among other things.
It also involves investing in personnel development and training initiatives so they know how to manage conflict in the workplace. Workers will be able to enhance their abilities and become more involved in the organization’s activities as a result.
- Build a teamwork culture
A sense of belonging boosts employee motivation and commitment to the organization. This will also make them think twice before taking an unscheduled day off and complicating their team’s situation. Furthermore, when a team culture exists when someone requires constant absences for a legitimate reason, the team is more willing to pick up the load and business operations are not disrupted.
- Disciplinary action
If there is no apparent reason for the continued absences, disciplinary action may be necessary; nonetheless, this is a formal process that must be followed correctly. You can discipline an employee if they repeatedly willfully violate the lateness and absenteeism policy, such as refusing to follow the notification of absence procedure and text instead of calling every time they are late, or denying to provide reasonable evidence of their absence in the form of a medical certificate or a statutory declaration, depending on the circumstances. Disciplinary action will be taken if absenteeism persists. For habitual offenders, dismissal may be the best option.
Conclusion:
Without absence management, a company’s operations will be in disarray. Due to illness and other factors, the workplace and its motivation shrink. As an HR manager, it’s critical to keep things under control before they start to go wrong. If you take a proactive approach to employee absences, you can lower absenteeism in the long run. It would also enhance employee morale, increase employee engagement and motivation as well as reduce overall expenses.
Author Bio:
Hello everyone, I am Ariana Mortenson, a professional writer and blogger. I write on various niches in a way that it’s understandable and appealing to the people. I aim to achieve a difference through my writing which allows you to make informed and valuable choices. Follow me back on Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
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