Dealing with absenteeism

Although some people seem to have come to accept that a high absenteeism rate is just a fact of life that they need to learn to live with, the good news is that more often than not, there is something that you can do to improve the situation.

Step 1: Start analysing the numbers

Look for trends manifesting over the last three to five years to help you plan better

• If you know that you are operating at 60% capacity every August, you can start to plan around this by getting in additional staff, re-allocating staff or increasing your focus on absenteeism related issues already a month or two in advance of this phenomena occurring
  
• Consider whether trends are indicative of root causes
  
• Look for patterns at specific times of the year and / or for specific leave types
  
• An increase in sick leave during winter months may be related to increased occurrences of flu
  
• Look for patterns in specific departments or relating to specific individuals
  
• This may highlight bullying in the workplace or issues at home
  
• Look for geographical patterns
  
• This may highlight areas where public transport is an issue during certain times of the year

Step 2: Involve others

"Return to work" interviews

• Making the time for "return to work" interviews can by itself act as a deterrent for people who are merely taking chances. In cases where employees are absent for valid reasons, these interviews will provide the ideal opportunity to identify the actual root causes rather than guessing what it could be. It is critical to have identified the right problems, otherwise your solutions will have no effect
  
• Brainstorm potential solutions with your team members

Step 3: Take action!

Having identified the root causes and brainstormed potential solutions will get you absolutely nowhere if you do not take action on the identified improvement opportunities. Here are a few categories of actions that may be able to assist you:

• Ensure that your staff are multi skilled and that all work processes are clearly documented. Have a backup plan in place for passwords in the event that a key team member is unexpectedly absent

• Investigate the work environment. Consider whether there are any health and safety related concerns that are repeatedly surfacing. Reducing the weight of equipment regularly used may result in a reduction of absenteeism relating to back ache

• Employee recognition is an important aspect of making employees feel valued and making them want to come to work. Is your company culture one where employees want to be or one where they would try and find any excuse not to have to deal with?

• Provide support by sharing educational information around health related issues, social issues & addictions. Provide contact information to support groups or even consider providing access to counselling (legal, financial or psychological)

• Re-evaluate your company benefits. Supporting your team members through medical aid membership payments, having an onsite nurse and / or sponsoring flu injections may provide your team members with the necessary means to enable them to remain healthy and at work instead of having to spend hours waiting at a public hospital where they are unable to make an appointment in advance

• Take action against people who abuse the system

• Check the absenteeism history of potential candidates during your recruitment process

Remember that an effective absenteeism management action plan requires focus and commitment throughout the year. While you may not eliminate absenteeism completely, improvements can be made if you approach this challenge in a structured way.