Reducing absenteeism in the workplace is important to the health of any business. When troubled by excessive absenteeism, the company is likely to experience decreases in production, lower morale among employees in general, and as a result enjoy a cash flow that is less than ideal. In order to reduce the number of absences experienced on a recurring basis, it is important for managers and human resource personnel to identify the causes of absenteeism that are relevant to their employees, address those causes, and hopefully be able to salvage the situation and help their employees be on the job with more regularity.
There are many different causes of absenteeism. Some have to do with the working conditions on the job. A good way to find elements that promote employee absenteeism is to look at the work environment itself. Making sure the employee has a safe place to work and the resources necessary to manage assigned tasks will often make a big difference in morale building and reducing absenteeism that is experienced due to frustrations with the job assignments.
Matching employee talents to essential tasks goes a long way toward reducing absenteeism in the workplace. By drawing on the strengths of employees and making sure they are in the right positions will go a long way toward motivating an employee to show up for work every day. Employees who feel competent in their assigned responsibilities are more likely to not only show up for work but to be more productive during working hours.
Looking closely at management styles and how owners and managers communicate with employees will also aid in reducing absenteeism. Employees who are well informed on what is happening in the company, and also feel free to discuss concerns, ideas, and questions with their managers are more likely to feel loyal to the business and want to be at work each day. Empowering employees to make decisions, within the bounds of current policies and procedures, with the aid and support of the managers will also often reduce the desire to stay out of work.
At times, reducing absenteeism may require considering that personal issues may be impeding the motivation for an employee to be at work. This may include personal issues with other employees, such as bullying in the workplace, financial difficulties, or even health issues such as depression or anxiety. Counseling with the employee to encourage him or her to open up about what issues are interfering with work attendance, then taking positive steps to aid that employee in overcoming those obstacles whenever possible, will go a long way toward improving the employee’s attitude about work and may also build additional loyalty that results in a more consistent attendance record.
