Excessive absenteeism at work can impact productivity, employee morale, and overall workplace culture. Employees who frequently miss work don’t just disrupt daily operations. They also add stress to colleagues and leadership, who are left shouldering the burden of the unscheduled absences. Of course, some absences can’t be avoided, and in those cases, it’s important to have effective safeguards in place to handle the shortfall.
Knowing how to address employee absenteeism is vital to your efforts to maintain workflow efficiency and foster a supportive, productive environment. It sets a standard where all employees feel valued, yet they have a sense of accountability.
If you have an employee or several who continually miss work, we’ll share tips on how to discuss their absenteeism. Read on to explore strategies for dealing with employee absenteeism so the issue doesn’t impact your organization’s overall success.
1. Document absences with care
Keeping accurate records of employee absences can help you potentially identify unplanned absence patterns and then determine appropriate responses when necessary. Every absence should be documented with the following information:
- Date
- Length of absence
- Reason provided
- Other relevant details
- Date of expected return
- A doctor’s note, if applicable
Carefully tracking instances can help you understand the scope of an employee’s absenteeism rate. It also gives you a record to reference during your discussions or interventions.
2. Address attendance issues proactively
Addressing attendance issues as they emerge is critical. Early intervention will prevent a manageable employee attendance issue from escalating into a chronic problem. Managers or supervisors should always approach a situation with clear communication using established, well-known employee attendance policy procedures to help employees understand the importance of being at work.
3. Let them know what you’ve observed
When an employee is demonstrating chronic absenteeism, it’s best to communicate the patterns you’ve observed—for example, maybe they tend to consistently miss the Friday or Monday before or after a long holiday weekend.
Be specific and factual in the meeting. Don’t bring emotion into the discussion — instead, focus on the impact their unexcused absence has on the team and overall workplace operations.
4. Show empathy and inquire about the root cause
Especially in the first conversations, be empathetic and show concern for the employee’s well-being. When learning how to talk to an employee about excessive absenteeism, use open-ended questions to create a safe, non-judgmental interaction as you try to uncover possible reasons for their unplanned absences. Whether the causes of absenteeism at work end up being work-related or due to personal issues, understanding can help guide creative solutions.
5. Communicate company policies effectively
When addressing absenteeism, make sure the employee understands the company’s attendance policies. Start by reviewing these policies with them, emphasizing any key points. Regularly remind them of these policies during one-on-one meetings to reinforce their importance. Clearly communicate the expectations and repercussions of excessive employee absenteeism at work to ensure they fully understand the impact on their role and the organization.
6. Offer supportive resources
Resources like employee assistance programs (EAPs), mental health support, mental health days off, and referrals to therapy or counseling services can help employees begin to address underlying issues that might be contributing to frequent absences.
Offering supportive resources like EAPs demonstrates your commitment to the well-being of everyone who works for you and creates a caring culture. Consider offering therapy for employees through Talkspace to give employees the support they may need and get a better grasp of attendance management.
9. Follow formal warning procedures
If initial interventions aren’t effective, formal warning procedures might be your next step. Make sure consequences are well-known in advance and that they’re applied fairly and consistently, regardless of who the employee is. When dealing with employee absenteeism, adhering to company policy ensures all employees understand expectations and the results of continued absences.
19. Arrange future follow-ups
Once you’ve discussed an absenteeism issue with an employee, it’s crucial to schedule follow-up meetings to discuss progress or provide ongoing support. Check-ins are excellent opportunities to adjust agreed-upon solutions that may need tweaks.
11. Recognize and reward their attendance
When you see improvement, you should recognize and reward the effort. Incentives don’t have to be huge gestures — even something as simple as verbal recognition or a small reward can further motivate employees to stay on the right path and prioritize attendance.
12. Apply consequences fairly & consistently
While repeated or unexcused absences should have consequences, they must be fair and consistent for effective absence management. Employees must have the same expectations and repercussions if policies aren’t respected. Consistently enforcing the rules sets a standard in the workplace and underscores the importance of being at work.
Give your employees the support they need to show up to work
As you figure out how to address employee absenteeism, it’s essential to assess the possible underlying causes, including mental health issues. Absenteeism can reflect issues employees are facing that may not be immediately obvious. Anxiety, depression, or stress can all make showing up to work increasingly difficult. Providing mental health support and resources — like access to therapy — helps employees learn to manage their mental health effectively in positive ways. Offering help can reduce absenteeism in the workplace, and increase employee well-being, satisfaction, and productivity.
Talkspace is an online therapy platform that can ensure your employees have access to quality mental health professionals. Being able to find help when it’s needed will create a healthy, engaged workforce that’s ready to get their job done.
Reach out to Talkspace today to request a demo and learn more about how you can equip your employees with the tools they need to be the best versions of themselves every day they come to work.
Sources:
- Bouzikos, Sophia, Ali Afsharian, Maureen Dollard, and Oliver Brecht. 2022. “Contextualising the Effectiveness of an Employee Assistance Program Intervention on Psychological Health: The Role of Corporate Climate.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (9): 5067. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095067. Accessed July 2, 2024.