In yesterday’s Advisor, Business Consultant Bridget Miller provided some tips on how employers can improve attendance among their workers; today, we provide more from Miller on how to prevent employee abuse of attendance policies and keep absenteeism down.
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As we mentioned yesterday, there are many perfectly legitimate reasons why employees might be unable to come into work (and, in fact, many legally-protected reasons), but there are also many cases of abuse of absence allowances. Here are a few more suggestions to improve attendance.
- Be wary of rewarding perfect attendance (even though that would seem to be an intuitive step). If you opt to do so, be sure that such a program does not inadvertently create a situation where an employee is discouraged from reporting a workplace accident (illness/injury). Also be sure it doesn’t encourage employees to come to work sick—and thus possibly spread the illness to more employees and customers as a result. That’s not a good outcome. Also be sure if such a program is in place that individuals who take protected leave (such as Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)) are not treated differently or penalized for taking that absence, as doing so could imply that the FMLA leave is being discouraged. Attendance rewards programs can help, but only if implemented wisely and carefully. It’s also an option to consider simply encouraging good attendance through informal recognition—most people want to have their hard work recognized.
- Train managers and supervisors to be aware of hidden reasons for excessive absences. For example, employees may be unaware they’re eligible for FMLA leave when caring for a seriously ill parent or child. In this scenario, instead of risking their job with too many regular absences, managers should ensure they’re able to take their protected leave. Other examples may include substance abuse problems or relationship/familial issues—which also can have solutions that the employer can assist with, such as employee assistance programs (EAPs). Obviously these examples require treading carefully and require artful communication, but that’s the point of training supervisors and managers on how to recognize and handle these types of situations.
- Assess the job requirements for individuals who appear to be overworked. Job stress can lead to burnout, absences, and turnover. This can often be avoided with good observation and assessment and reassigning of duties—or additional training—when necessary.
- Be consistent in application of policies. Inconsistencies, such as letting an absence slide for one employee but not for another, can lead to resentment—which can lead to others taking absences because they’ve felt slighted. Never mind the legal ramifications! As with many policies, consistent application is key.
Have you dealt with excessive absenteeism? What steps did you take?