Your questions answered: How do I deal with frequent absenteeism?

#yourquestionsanswered When an employee fails to turn up for work without letting you know, it can really throw a spanner in the works. This is especially challenging if it becomes a regular occurrence. So what should you do?

How can absenteeism affect your business?

It can hurt the company's productivity and morale, and even cost money. It can also affect the team culture, particularly if other workers are having to pick up the slack or believe that their co-worker is not made accountable for letting the team down.

What should you do to prevent absenteeism?

• Be clear: Make sure everyone knows the rules about attendance, including how and when to let you know if they can't make it to work. This helps avoid any misunderstandings.

• Encourage positivity: A positive work environment is important for good attendance. Encourage teamwork, open communication, and support among employees.

• Follow up: If an employee is absent without a good reason, don't just let it slide. At the very least, find out why they have been absent without letting you know and let them know what your expectations are for any future absence.

• Be supportive: If someone is absent a lot, there may be underlying issues that are causing them stress. By being supportive and offering help, like counseling or flexible work arrangements, you can make it easier for them to come to work.

• Keep track: It's important to keep track of who is absent and when, so you can see if there are any patterns or issues that need to be addressed.

And when it happens despite you taking action, what should you do?

At this point, a few things may happen.

• This may become a disciplinary issue if they are breaching their employment agreement, for instance, by not giving you notice of not working.

• This may become a performance issue if they are not keeping up with their workload due to excessive absence.

• This may result in them abandoning their employment if they have been away without letting you know for a few days (depending on your contract terms). Take care that you get advice to ensure that you are acting reasonably and in line with your contract, if you decide to go down this path.