How Can We Tackle Unapproved Leaves and Absenteeism in Our Construction Company?

Ours is a construction company, and people will go on long leave even without leave balances. Sometimes they even abscond for a few days as they are sure the PM is not going to sanction their leave and then come back to work. This will result in Loss of Pay/Absence. We, from HR, have to create a policy/develop a process to control this. Requesting advice from seniors, please.

Creating an Effective Leave Policy for the Construction Industry

A clear leave policy should be announced. One must understand the nature of workers in any industry and mold certain policies to cater to their ways of life. By following a policy of being accommodative to a great extent, you can have a satisfied workforce.

Many workers in the construction industry come from faraway places and like to go home when some amount of money is accumulated. They carry this cash with them to hand over to family in villages. Festivals and marriages are important occasions for them, and they will attend even if they are refused leave. So, try and balance out work and leave.

Try and get bank accounts opened for them so that money can be transferred to family. One will have to understand their needs before framing a workable leave policy.

Introduce the leave policy referring to your country's labor laws. Develop the policy according to your company's structure and requirements.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or clarification.

Please provide more details about the size of the company, where the workers are from, etc. The more information you provide, the more precise the advice you will receive from experts. Nathrao has rightly pointed out why people may absent themselves to attend functions and go back to their families to hand over cash, etc.

I vividly recall how a carpenter, who worked on the house that my father was building, used to collect his wages on Thursday evening and disappear for a few days, only to come back the following Monday or Tuesday after spending all the money. He lived locally, but as jobs were not scarce, he was not worried.

Dear Shaila,
The construction industry is a little bit conservative. However, you have not written about these "people" who go on long leave. What is their designation? It appears that you have been hiring staff who hail from far-off places. It is not possible for them to go home frequently. Therefore, they vanish for a couple of weeks, even months, and then come back. This problem is common in security or housekeeping companies too.

Above all, their thought process has congealed to such an extent that salary deduction does not matter to them. Therefore, even if you make a policy, I doubt whether the situation will change in any way. Policy or not, their absence will continue. The threat of termination also will not work because jobs at that level are available in plenty. At most construction sites, there is a shortage of manpower.

Solution to Absenteeism

One of the solutions to avoid the problem of absenteeism is to hire local staff. However, this could be a costly solution. But then you need to weigh it vis-à-vis the cost of work stoppage. If the former is less, then go ahead with the hiring of local labour.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

As Simhan requested, please provide more details about the overall scenario. Even though you are a construction company, it will be helpful to gauge the situation if you can specify the size and type of construction activities you carry out (industrial, residential, commercial, etc.).

Presuming you are referring to labor/unskilled manpower when you mention 'people,' Dinesh is absolutely right when he says, "their thought process congealed to such an extent that salary deduction does not matter to them." Their psyche is markedly different—living for the present moment, akin to a skewed interpretation of the teachings in the Bhagavad Gita (‘Live in the Present’).

They are accustomed to living with whatever money they have, regardless of their background, without complaints—unlike most of us. Perhaps, we could learn something from them, adjusting our needs to align with our resources. In essence, policies hold little significance for them.

If you desire more actionable suggestions from the members, please provide additional details.

Regards,
TS