Absenteeism: Unscheduled Absences on the Rise; Practical Strategies for Boosting Attendance

Last-minute absences have always been a problem for employers. But according to the annual CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey, they’re now at a five-year high.

In 2004, according to the new study, unscheduled absences rose to 2.4 percent of total paid productive hours, up 1.9 percent from last year, at a cost to employers of $610 per employee annually. An employee’s own illness accounted for 38 percent of unscheduled absences followed by family issues (23 percent), personal needs (18 percent), stress (11 percent), and an entitlement mentality (10 percent). The study arrived at the absenteeism rate by dividing total paid-unscheduled absence hours by total paid-productive hours. Scheduled absences, such as vacation, legal holidays, jury duty, personal time, and bereavement leave, weren’t included in the calculations.

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Attendance Boosters

If you’re like most employers, workplace morale may be suffering from unscheduled absences along with your bottom line. Here are some practical ways you can help keep absenteeism in check:

1. Paid time off (PTO) plans. These programs give employees a lump sum of paid days off rather than a set number of days each for vacation, holidays, and sick leave. PTOs encourage employees to manage their leave without having to lie. PTOs also make it easier for employers to plan because they typically require advance notice of time off. But keep in mind that California law requires you to pay workers for accrued leave remaining in their PTO account when employment ends. Also “use it or lose it” policies are illegal, but you can set a cap on how many days an employee can keep in a PTO account.

    

2. No-fault policies. These policies track unplanned time off, paid or unpaid, without making a value judgment about the reason for the absence. After accumulating a certain number of points, an employee is disciplined or terminated. Leave taken under the family and medical leave laws can’t be used against an employee in a no-fault system.

    

3. Attendance bonuses. Some employers pay workers a bonus for perfect attendance. However, an employee can’t legally be disqualified from getting the bonus because of an absence for family leave.

    

4. Child care referral. Many employers find it’s helpful to keep a list of emergency child care providers handy. Child Care Aware (www.childcareaware.org) and the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (www.rrnetwork.org/rrnet/index.htm) provide local child care referrals. Also, on-site child care can be a great attendance booster for parents with young children. If that’s not practical, consider subsidizing care at a nearby facility.

    

5. Flexible scheduling. This can include allowing employees who frequently have early morning commitments to start work later. Rescheduling early morning or late afternoon meetings can help increase attendance of parents with child care commitments.

    

6. Alternative work arrangements. Job sharing or telecommuting can reduce absences. Compressed workweeks—such as four 10-hour days—can also help cut down on unscheduled absences.

Communication and Morale Are Key

Communicating with your employees is critical to making an absenteeism reduction plan work. Let people know you’ll try to help when they must take time off, but that they have to be honest about their needs. Encourage employees to plan absences ahead of time so you won’t have to scramble to find a replacement. And invite workers to confer with you about ideas on how they can stay productive, such as working from home while caring for a sick child.

Keep in mind, too, that workplace morale has a big impact on a company’s absenteeism rate. Companies reporting good/very good morale in the CCH survey experienced a 1.9 percent rate of unscheduled absenteeism, versus a 2.9 percent rate for companies reporting poor/fair morale. The more you can do to ensure your employees are happy in their jobs, the more you can expect to see them at work.

Don’t Let the Flu Get You Down

And finally, as we head into the flu season—in a year when flu shots are in extremely short supply—there are some simple steps you can take to help keep illness from spreading in your workplace and unscheduled absences from getting out of hand. Encourage employees who are infected to stay home, and stress the importance of frequent hand washing. Also, wellness programs can be a good way to educate employees about how they can stay healthy and productive.