Quick tips: managing absenteeism

In the vlog below, I share some quick tips on managing absenteeism in the workplace to help you handle problematic employee absences proactively and compliantly.

What is absenteeism?

Sascha: Absenteeism in HR is defined as constant and habitual patterns of absence from work.

Why is absenteeism important to manage?

Sascha: It’s estimated that absenteeism costs New Zealand over $1 billion per year.

Absenteeism incurs significant costs to a business in a number of ways; the paid leave itself, the cost of covering their absence through the use of temporary staff or paying overtime to existing workers, and decreased productivity and impacts on staff morale.

How can you manage absenteeism effectively?

Sascha: Here are five best-practice steps to manage absenteeism before it grows into a more serious issue:

1. implement clear leave and absenteeism policies that outline expectations;
2. communicate with your employees about what is acceptable and what isn’t;
3. have clear guidelines about absence notification and who employees should notify, how and when;
4. manage and address continuous or excessive absenteeism as it occurs, even if this means a disciplinary process in certain circumstances. Leaving it and not taking any action may give the indication that it is acceptable behaviour and this will negatively impact workplace culture and morale; and
5. request evidence or medical certificates where appropriate

What can you do to address absenteeism?

Sascha: If you suspect you have a culture of absenteeism in your workplace, you can try these strategies to turn this around:

• identify and address the causes of absenteeism in your workplace, For example, is it lack of engagement or motivation or is it stress from heavy workloads;
• look to improve the work environment and workplace culture. For example, introduce social or sports events, incentives, flexible work arrangements etc.;
• reduce strain and stress at work and talk to employees about their workload;
• have face to face ‘wellness’ meetings with your employees when they return from a period of sick leave to check if they’re ok and identify any long term or personal issues early; and
• explain to employees the negative effect absenteeism has on their colleagues.

If this article has raised any questions or concerns or you’d like to learn more about how we can help your business, please reach out to our workplace relations experts via our 24/7 HR Advice Line.