It’s no surprise that employees will occasionally need to miss work. However, worker absenteeism and loss of productivity lead to billions of lost dollars each year. The reason for employee absenteeism varies some among industries but here are some of the top reasons according to Forbes: Bullying & harassment, Illness,Depression, Lack of Childcare
While it would be impossible to prevent all employee absenteeism, here some things that might help reduce it:
1.Have a sick policy in place
Most everyone gets sick at some point during the year. While most people might be able to march on, some industries such as food services, do not have that luxury. Not only can ill workers contribute to unproductive environments, they can also pose public health risks. Many hourly workers can’t afford to miss work, and therefore many show up sick and make other employees sick as well.
Having a well thought out sick policy may actually increase attendance overall. With employees knowing that they have some much-needed reprieve in case of illness the overall work-related stress should decrease.
2. Ensure a healthy & positive work environment
One of the top reasons for employees missing work is often cited as stress. This stress may be caused by a heavy workload or difficult work assignment but it also often cited as stress caused by co-workers. Making sure that your work environment is free from unnecessary stress is key. This means that it is necessary to deal with difficult employees or overbearing managers. Keep a close eye out for office bullies and those who are constantly being complained about for harassment or disrespectful attitudes and deal with them immediately.
3. Encourage happy and healthy lifestyles
Happy employees equal productive employees. Encouraging your employees to seek healthy lifestyles by assisting with gym memberships, providing standing desk options or encouraging exercise. Be flexible with your employees if possible. Small benefits like a flex day or flexible hours might be the difference between an employee showing up or not.
4. Simplify Their Lives
Small tedious tasks like traditional timesheets can often cause more pain than they are worth. Switching to On-Time Web not only reduces time wasted but also makes a cumbersome process much easier for everyone involved. It’s easy to implement, affordable and a great long-term investment! You can get a FREE 14-day trial here:
