Factors Influencing Absenteeism in a workplace



Introduction

Workforce is the most valuable asset in an organization. There are various employee related issues numerous organizations face that will influence the performance of the company. One of those is absenteeism. Absenteeism is absence for work intentionally with no valid justification “Employee absenteeism is defined as the frequent absence of an employee from his or her work. This absence is often categorized as a habitual absence that excludes authorized leaves or paid time off” (Angshuman, 2021).

Causes of Absenteeism

At times, management overpowers employees with heavy responsibilities; stressful meetings, lack of appreciation, lack of vacation days or flexible work hours will increase absenteeism. Employees who are harassed by bosses and colleagues try to avoid the situation and will compensate for it by sick days. A negative workplace can likewise grab hold when employee relations turn bitter. Any individual who ends up persistently disappointed by her/his co-workers will attempt to take more vacation days to manage pressure and stress. Employees may force to have nonattendance due to personal matters like child or elder care. In the meantime depression, injuries, illness and medical treatments are common reasons for absenteeism. ”According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the leading cause of absenteeism in the United States is depression.” (Stapeltan, 2021). Employee absenteeism can be hard to address when it became a habit or once it is accepted by the fellow workers.

Figure 1: How to combat employee absenteeism (Shaw, 2021)

The impact of absenteeism in workplace

Absence from work can influence your business just as your employees. You can see its consequences for your business's bottom line, funds and productivity. The main effect is the expense it has on organizations and the economy. In addition to the financial impact, it mainly affects the performance of the organization. Individual performance that misses regularly would have lost time on undertakings, preparing and refreshes. All of this can prompt low spirit in the workplace and declining performance affects quality and nature.

How to manage workplace absenteeism

Figure 2: Tech tools for managing workplace Absenteeism, (Robb, 01)

All things considered, you cannot drive the employees to appear for work on time. It is necessary to prepare an official attendance policy which makes expectations for work conduct and disciplinary activity clear to both employees and the employer. Absenteeism become less when flexible work schedules are fixed in the company. Specifically, introducing remote work reduce unscheduled absences. Providing physical and mental wellbeing workplace will create productive workforce. When organizations offer reward programs for great participation, the employees will further develop a feeling of ownership. Rather than spending time with employee data base, it is important to build up a sound relationships with the employees as the workers are attempting to track down work and life balance.

Conclusions

As absenteeism is a serious issue in the workplace, solutions must be taken immediately before it influences the overall performance. It is essential to treat all the employees as humans and make them feel happy; they will actively participate in achieving organizational goals.

References

Angshuman, 2021. The HR Professionals Guide to Employee Absenteeism. [Online] Available at: https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-absenteeism-hr-guide/ [Accessed 10 November 2021].

Stapeltan, J. a., 2021. Investopedia. [Online] Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/070513/causes-and-costs-absenteeism.asp [Accessed 11 November 2021].

Shaw, N., 2021. workpuls. [Online] Available at: https://www.workpuls.com/blog/combat-employee-absenteeism [Accessed 12 November 2021].

Robb, D., 01. SHRM. [Online] Available at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0315-time-and-attendance-software.aspx [Accessed 11 November 2021].