How Can We Ensure Full Attendance in Training Despite Personal Commitments?

Could you please advise on the steps or measures that need to be taken to avoid absenteeism in training once the individuals are hired? There are many individuals who are unable to report, causing delays in the training program. The reasons they cited are as follows:

1. Medical issues (especially female trainees).
2. Someone in a distant relation has expired or been hospitalized, and there is no one to take care.
3. Important festival celebrations.
4. Any close relative's marriage, birthday function, etc.

Please also let me know how to avoid such situations to ensure 100% attendance in training. If someone is unable to report, how should we handle the situation and communicate a message to the entire training team to prevent a recurrence.

Thank you.

Dear Pravin,

We too had such issues in my previous organization. After investing efforts to plan based on need, schedule, and finalize the list of participants, as an in-house trainer, my experience says that employees are fond of giving excuses without evaluating the cost of training. Hence, we modified our PMS wherein we added quantifiable parameters allotting a 10% stake to it. Now, it's up to employees to secure their hike in pay; otherwise, they can focus on the 90%.

Training Attendance Requirements

1. Minimum number of trainings to be attended per year, even if it is a repeated program.

2. Number of trainings attended.

3. Performance post-training.

Based on their attendance and performance, they can secure a hike in pay.

At times, we even issued warning letters with a note that this will be considered as a parameter while evaluating your performance regarding punctuality, accountability, and ownership to upgrade your skills and knowledge favoring competencies.

You need to have some kind of mechanism to make your employees more accountable and responsible towards their job. Request your HEAD HR to consider your views and modify your PMS to suit your modus operandi.

With profound regards,
Regards

Addressing Absenteeism in Training Programs

Absenteeism in training may not always be due to an employee's lack of interest. Often, it is because the manager or supervisor does not relieve their subordinates, citing a shortage of personnel to manage operations. This issue is more prevalent in organizations conducting training programs in-house, whether through their own trainers or by hiring external faculty.

Steps to Mitigate Absenteeism

One way to solve this problem is to inform all managers and employees that if an employee is marked absent at the training point, they will be deemed absent on payroll unless advance notice is received from the concerned manager about the individual being on leave due to unavoidable circumstances. This process is managed well if an automated training management information system is deployed. Some organizations are using EmpXtrack software to track absenteeism during training and have been able to streamline their systems.

Regards

Let me clarify once again that I have shared my concerns regarding the training provided to the trainees after they join, emphasizing the importance of maintaining 100% attendance. This pertains to product training, and missing any training day can have a significant impact on the training progress and cause delays in the overall plan. It is crucial to understand that refresher training or any other additional sessions are distinct aspects to consider separately.