All the Ways to Reduce Employee Absenteeism at Workplace
The average worker who has 5 years of experience gets a 15-day paid leave, whereas one who has 20 years of work experience gets 20 paid vacations. Most employers incorrectly assume that 15 or 20 days off in a 365 day year should be enough—and therein lies the problem.
Employee absenteeism is always going to be a problem in workplaces. There are, however, measures you can put in place to rectify this and boost productivity, positivity, and presence at work.
Health Concerns
The most common reason for employee absenteeism is sickness. Sick, unhealthy, or depressed employees will take the most days off—because they need them. As an employer, it is your responsibility—if you are concerned about excessive absenteeism at work—to inquire about their health. Is your workplace offering medical assistance? Health insurance? Enough sick days off?
Forcing a sick employee to come in to work can worsen the situation; not to mention that it can spread to the rest of your workforce, as has been proven by the recent pandemic. As a result, the sick employee will now be sicker—and you also have more potentially sick employees who will soon need time off. It’s a lose-lose situation—and that’s not even mentioning that the employee can sue you for occupational health hazards and illnesses.
Give Them Enough Time Off
Perhaps you feel like your employees have become too forthcoming with asking for leaves—and that strikes you as a tad unprofessional. But have you ever questioned whether or not you’re giving them enough time off from work? Why are so many employees asking for so many sick leaves and annual and casual leaves?
It could be that you are not giving them enough time off to relax from long hours of work. Burnout is real. As a leader in the workplace, part of your job is to excel at burnout response—because employee absenteeism will negatively affect your business.
Provide Incentives
Let’s say you simply can’t give too many employees time off—because you have a business to run. What’s the one thing that can compel employees to come to work despite not feeling like it?
Giving them something that makes them want to come to work. Usually, a combination of the following helps:
Socializing
Encouraging healthy networking and socializing at work. If you’re micro-managing and telling your employees to not make friends/small talk with colleagues, you’re on a terrible track.
Creative Freedom
Giving them creative freedom and authority over their jobs. Again, micromanaging is a terrible idea—while you should definitely monitor employees’ performances, you should give them enough space to be their own person. This will encourage them to be more active and resourceful on the job—which is doubly beneficial for you.
Events
Company events—such as annual dinners, trips, picnics, icebreakers, pre-holiday festivities, etc.—are a fun way to make work feel less like work. Give your employees something to look forward to other than sitting and staring at a screen for eight hours straight.
Bonuses
If and when possible, give bonuses. Financial incentives work, not just because they’re monetary, but also because they make recipients feel valued and worthy. They know their work has made a difference—difference enough to earn them a small reward, and that in itself will convince them to be more proactive at work.
About the DLI-IT Group
The DLI-IT Group provides HR management solutions to businesses in the UAE, and can assist you in a variety of ways, such as providing time attendance systems, cloud-based payroll software, and more.