Frequent absences in the workplace can cost your business money, affecting your business’s bottom line and your remaining staff. In addition, it can lead to lower morale, decreased job satisfaction, and less productivity. Unfortunately, absenteeism happens for a number of reasons, and it is hard to eradicate completely. However, while you can’t completely eliminate it, there are a number of strategies that you can employ to increase the attendance rate among your employees; keep reading to learn more.
Review Your Policies and Your Staffs Contractual Obligations
In order to boost your staff’s attendance rate, you first need to review their contracts and company policies. Are your expectations in regard to their attendance clearly outlined with the consequences detailed too? What policies do you have in place to tackle absenteeism? If this is confusing or lacking, then you might want to consider developing an attendance policy. Ensure that all of your info surrounding attendance is easy to understand and in one place, such as a company handbook.
Prioritize Your Employees’ Health & Wellness
In order to boost the attendance rate within your staff, you need to reduce levels of sickness. You need to prioritize employees’ well-being by finding ways to promote healthy living. Encouraging your staff to take care of their mental and physical health will lead to fewer absences. You could build more breaks into their working day, offer healthy eating options, or develop a cycle to work scheme. Putting in place programmes like that also communicate your employee’s worth to the company. They feel cared for, which boosts morale too.
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Offer Flexible Working Solutions
There may occasionally be issues outside of your employees’ control that can mean that they have to take time off. Your employees have other obligations like dependents, which obviously come before their job. They might run into issues with their home or their car, and these can lead to absences. By offering flexible working solutions, you can mitigate this. Your staff could work from home for a day if they needed to. They could start later or finish earlier if needed, as long as they fulfill their contractual obligations and get their work done. By offering your staff solutions, you are showing that you are adaptable, and this can reduce the rate of absenteeism in your business.
Include Attendance in Your Employee’s Performance Reviews
Obviously, you shouldn’t be penalising and punishing staff for absences that are beyond their control. However, by including attendance rates in your performance reviews, you can discuss their level of absence and why it is so high or low. You can connect with them to see whether or not you can help; you won’t always be able to, but sometimes listening is enough. You can also use the performance review as an opportunity to reiterate your expectations around attendance and outline consequences and processes for those taking liberties with absences.
Employ the Use of Software
In order to boost attendance rates, you first need to learn more about them. You need to be able to track them in order to find patterns that you can then use to your advantage. You should think about investing in some software that can help you. For example, myhrtoolkit has a phenomenal absence management system that captures data, consolidates it, and presents it in a clear and concise way.
Offer a Great Benefits Package
The benefits package that you offer your staff can have an impact on their attendance rate. As well as the salary that you are paying them, you need to think about what else you are offering to them. Compensating your employees can increase their attendance rate. This is because staff turnover is lower, and morale is higher, making your employers feel more engaged and productive. Happy staff are far less likely to indulge in absenteeism, and the benefits package that you provide them with can go a long way in ensuring that they are happy. Take the time to thoughtfully design the benefits package for your staff. You need to come up with a budget first and foremost. Then consider things that your staff will like. You can ask them for input to ensure that you aren’t going to waste money putting together a package that your staff won’t appreciate.
To Conclude
In truth, it is all but impossible to completely eradicate absenteeism within the workplace; people are always going to fall ill or get injured. That being said, you can take steps to eliminate needless absenteeism. Use the tips above to improve the attendance rate among your employees. Lead by example and remember to encourage a healthy work/life balance. Be kind to your staff; not all absences will be within their control.
