 Four Steps to Improved Employee Attendance
Hi,
Four Steps to Improved Employee Attendance
Employee absenteeism costs money. A 1992 study by the Conference Board of Canada estimated the cost of employee absenteeism to be 1.26 times the base hourly wage. This doesn’t include the morale cost for fellow employees who must shoulder a heavier burden or otherwise deal with the absence.
Attendance can be managed, but discipline is rarely the best response. Steps taken to improve employee attendance are more effective if they focus on incentives rather than discipline. Effective attendance management should also address broad issues in the workplace. Employees who are happy with their jobs will want to come to work.
With those principles in mind, employers should consider the following:
Ensure job satisfaction. First of all, the employer must identify the organizational and individual factors that might contribute to absenteeism. A poorly implemented policy or a bad supervisor or troublesome employee can discourage others from coming to work. These need to be fixed before absenteeism can be corrected.
Address employees’ physical and emotional needs. You don’t want to intrude on an employee’s personal life. However, making sure that employees are aware of access to an EAP or making employees aware of community resources that can offer assistance, is a helpful part of attendance management.
Reward good attendance. Consider providing a tangible incentive (such as a monetary bonus or paid time off, for example) to employees with exemplary attendance records.
Encourage employees to take “ownership” of attendance management. Communicate attendance management process and progress. Educate employees about the benefits of good attendance to the employer, to the sustainability of the organization, and to employee careers.
Attendance management is one of those ongoing issues employers face. Consistent attention to steps such as the above will go a long way to reducing absenteeism.
**************
| 
Linear Mode
