What is absenteeism? It refers to the habitual and frequent absence of an employee from work, excluding paid leave and employer-granted time off. As a manager, supervisor, or team leader, you may have encountered cases of absenteeism. Various factors such as illness, jury duty, or bereavement can cause absenteeism. However, excessive of it can become a significant issue in the workplace. This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of employee absenteeism, including its causes and ways to minimize it in your organization.
Types of Work Absenteeism
Approved Absences
If an employee seeks prior approval from their employer, their absence can be regarded as an excused or prearranged leave.
In the Philippines, there are several reasons for which an employee may be granted excused leave. Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Sick leave. This is granted to employees who are unable to work due to illness or injury.
- Vacation leave. This is granted to employees who want to take time off work for personal reasons, such as going on a holiday.
- Maternity leave. This is granted to female employees who are pregnant and need to take time off work for childbirth and recovery.
- Paternity leave. This is granted to male employees whose spouses or partners are giving birth, allowing them to be with their family during this time.
- Bereavement leave. This is granted to employees who have suffered the loss of a loved one, allowing them time to grieve and make necessary arrangements.
- Parental leave. This is granted to employees who need to take time off work to care for their child or children.
- Special leave. This is granted to employees who need to take time off work for other reasons, such as attending to personal or family matters.
It’s important to note that different companies and organizations may have their own policies regarding leave, and may offer additional types of excused leave beyond those listed above.
Occasional Absenteeism
Apart from authorized leave from work, there may be instances when an employee requires unplanned time off that wasn’t previously authorized. Life is unpredictable, and not everything can be anticipated in advance. Occasional absences from work may include sick days, childcare concerns, mourning the loss of a loved one or friend, court-related legal issues, or unexpected car issues. These absences are genuinely infrequent, as employees do not exploit the availability of this time off and only use them when needed. Companies (should) anticipate that workers will require unplanned time off, periodically.
Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism refers to the consistent absence from work beyond what a company’s attendance policy permits, often accompanied by weak excuses. This can lead to significant negative impacts on profits, productivity, and teamwork.
Frequent causes of chronic absenteeism may include:
- Lack of motivation or disengagement
- Harassment at work
- Feeling overwhelmed by job responsibilities
- Experiencing a career crisis or loss of workplace purpose
- Chronic illness or injury
- Stress, anxiety, and depression
- Burnout
- Caring for family members or the elderly
- Dissatisfaction with work
Chronic absenteeism doesn’t always manifest as missing an entire day of work. When an employee lacks motivation, consistently arrives late and leaves early, and takes extended breaks, it can have the same effect as if they were absent.
Chronic Absenteeism: A Closer Look
Chronic absenteeism can lead to disciplinary action or even job loss if not addressed. Good managers understand that absenteeism is often caused by underlying challenges that impact an employee’s ability to work effectively.
To prevent negative consequences, the root cause of disengagement or time management issues should be identified and addressed. In some cases, the organization itself may be responsible for the employee’s absenteeism, such as in situations of a hostile work environment or unrealistic workload.
Rather than jumping to conclusions, management should proactively identify and address absenteeism. This may indicate unhealthy company culture, poor organizational structure, or unrealistic goals.
Several common root causes of chronic absenteeism include burnout, harassment, depression or anxiety, and bad management.
Burnout
Workers are experiencing burnout due to the pressure to arrive early, stay late, and remain connected to their devices during off-hours. Toxic work culture is a significant contributing factor, which leads to energy depletion and disengagement among employees. It is logical for employees to seek a work environment that prioritizes their mental and physical well-being, even in roles that offer high salaries and benefits.
Harassment
Everyone should be treated with kindness and respect while working. However, approximately a fifth of Filipino employees have faced harassment at their workplace. It’s not always easy for affected employees to find a new job, which could result in taking frequent absences to stay away from the harasser.
Depression and Anxiety
Absenteeism resulting from depression can have negative impacts on both work and the employee’s wellbeing. In the Philippines, mental health concerns cost the nation PHP 68.9 billion (US$ 1.37 billion) annually, equivalent to 0.4% of the country’s GDP, as per a report from the Department of Health (DOH) and the United Nations.
Bad Management
Managers play a crucial role in the coherence of an organization as they translate leadership objectives into practical tasks for their subordinates. Their influence is significant in motivating employees to attend work regularly.
Supervisors who lead through intimidation, excessive control, or a lack of guidance foster ineffective procedures that burden and strain their staff. Even with good intentions, managers who struggle to perform affect the productivity and morale of their team members.
What Are The Consequences of Work Absenteeism?
Listed below are the ways in which absenteeism affects a business at all levels:
Employees
Hourly workers or contractors may suffer a reduction in their monthly salary, while freelancers and contractors may lose vital contracts and clients. In addition, all employees may face criticism from management, tarnish their reputation, lose their job, and have difficulty obtaining new employment if their previous manager refuses to provide a reference.
Colleagues
If the missed time cannot be compensated for, workmates will have to fill in the gaps, resulting in increased stress and longer hours that disrupt their work-life balance. Persistent absenteeism may cause resentment among colleagues towards the absent teammates or the manager for failing to find a solution, which could harm employee morale.
The Entire Team
The entire group may struggle to keep up with the increased workload and fail to deliver on projects. Overworking can decrease productivity and creativity, and create divisions within the team. Furthermore, observing a coworker escape consequences for absenteeism may cause frustration with the leadership and organization.
Management
If a manager is dealing with persistent absenteeism, they will need to do significant damage control with disgruntled colleagues, dissatisfied clients, and impatient leaders who want goals to be met.
The Company
Even one chronically absent employee can reduce productivity and profits. Additionally, expenses can accumulate: paying overtime to workers filling in, using human resources to manage absenteeism, and incurring the high costs of firing and rehiring, all of which require unanticipated resources.
Tips on How to Reduce Absenteeism at Work
Communicate a clear attendance policy and expectations to all employees.
In your attendance policy, make sure to include guidelines for reporting absences, procedures for managing absences, and consequences for excessive absenteeism. Additionally, outline how you will address repeated absences.
After creating the policy, discuss it with all employees and ask them to sign it to indicate their understanding.
The policy serves as a resource for employees to understand your expectations. Be consistent in applying the policy across all situations.
Offer support
Provide support to employees who are absent due to personal issues like mental health problems or bereavement. Providing assistance during their absence and upon their return can help them feel more positive about returning to work and prevent future absences.
Consider supporting employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance and valuing their needs by offering time off in lieu of flexible working hours.
Address workplace stress factors
Take steps to address factors in the workplace that may cause stress for employees. For instance, if a broken piece of equipment is causing stress, prioritize fixing it as soon as possible.
Implement programs that prioritize employee health and well-being, with a focus on both physical and mental health. This demonstrates to your workforce that you value their health and work, and can help reduce absenteeism.
Provide regular feedback to your employees
Regularly give your employees constructive feedback, particularly when they excel in their work. Failing to provide feedback may result in your workforce feeling undervalued, which can contribute to absenteeism going unnoticed.
Recognize and reward employees with good attendance records
While you should be mindful of genuine reasons for employee absences, such as long-term sickness, consider rewarding employees who have demonstrated good attendance throughout the year. This incentive can motivate all employees to prioritize attendance and communicate to reliable employees that their hard work is appreciated.
Conclusion
Life can sometimes interfere with work. It’s alright to miss work due to life, as long as communicated and proper support is provided. However, if absenteeism becomes chronic, it is crucial to take immediate action to prevent it from escalating.
Identify the issue, talk to coworkers, devise a strategy with supportive management to effect change for yourself or others.
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” —Anne Mulcahy