How Should HR Handle Excessive Leaves When Employees Keep Managers Informed?

Handling Excessive Leaves in the Workplace

I am working in a BPO in Thane as an HR Manager. I would like to know what action should be taken if an employee is taking excessive leaves (her PLs are exhausted, and no paid leaves are in the account) but is informing her manager every day that her father is unwell. She has mentioned she will inform us when she will resume work. This month, she has taken 18 days off. Our company policies mention actions to be taken for uninformed leaves, but what if an employee is informing and taking excessive leaves that harm business and team productivity?

Kindly guide.

If you are an HR manager, then what is your concern? Is there any financial loss to the company? Have you received any complaints from the relevant parties? Did the employee's reporting authority or manager complain to you? If yes, then only come into the picture. Employee absenteeism is the organization's problem, not your HR manager's personal problem.

Dear Prashantji,

Her absenteeism is affecting business and other team members. Her Sales Manager complained about her absenteeism via email, but as she is informing and taking leaves, I do not have any clause in policies for excessive informed leaves. I need your guidance.

So please guide me on what is to be done to control such leaves.

Authority to Approve Leave Applications

I don’t know about your company, but based on my experience, only the Head of Department or Reporting Manager has the authority to approve or disapprove leave applications received from their team members. They are better informed about the department's work status, ongoing projects, and work assignments.

If her Reporting Manager or Sales Manager observes that her absenteeism is affecting business and other team members, he has the right to cancel her leave application and inform HR.

HR's Role in Addressing Absenteeism

As an HR professional, it’s your duty to address this issue with the concerned employee. You must inform the employee how her absenteeism is impacting work. Simply informing and taking leaves (18 days in a month) is not a sign of a productive employee. Leaves should only be taken if approved by the Reporting Manager. If she continues to take unapproved leaves, you can take action against her.

Implementing a Leave Approval Process

You can start this practice by giving authority to the HOD or Reporting Manager to approve leaves for their team members. This will help prevent such issues in the future.

Dear friend,

Employee discipline and organizational harmony

Employee discipline is the cornerstone for the smooth running of any organization. Of course, rules of discipline are for people's sake and should not be impervious to situations beyond human control. At the same time, complying with rules either for mere compliance's sake or manipulative compliance cannot be permitted for long, as in the case described in the post. Of course, no daughter can be indifferent to an ailing father. If she is the only member of the family to wait on him, what prevents her from assessing the probable requirement of time and applying for long leave at a stretch accordingly?

Addressing excessive leave and organizational impact

When the hardship created for the organization's business in this regard was brought to your attention by the Sales Manager, it is quite unbecoming on your part as an HR Manager to resort to an impractical interpretation of your leave rules. Whether formally informed or uninformed entirely, no employee can claim leave as a matter of right just because of no wages/salary for such leave. It is the bounden duty of the Leave-sanctioning Authority to analyze the gravity of the situation and decide accordingly. Rules are just like signposts on a road pointing the direction only. It is the traveler's visibility and common sense to negotiate the curves and possible pitfalls along the road.

Formal communication and disciplinary measures

It is better to inform her formally in writing that an extension of leave in piecemeal, even on loss of pay, cannot be permitted, and ask her to report for duty forthwith. Failing which, appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against her for unauthorized absence from duty.

Dear friend, does your organization have a manual of conduct or certified standing order, and do you act accordingly? If not, you can call the employee for an explanation for his/her unauthorized absence. He/she should be held responsible for the loss and damage caused due to his/her absence from duty. He or she can be charged for non-performance. An employee may apply for leave but can only avail it after being sanctioned by the authority, considering the gravity of the situation or to ensure that the day-to-day work of the establishment is not hampered. Call the employee for counseling and help him/her understand that the said behavior may lead to termination.

Work Environment Policies and Procedures

A work environment has its policies and procedures that need to be effectively followed by all for the well-being and growth of the organization. It's entirely whimsical, in the case under review, that the employee just feels comfortable informing the boss and believes everything will fall into order. Nothing falls into order on its own!

As per the employment terms and conditions, she should be well aware of her "absenteeism status," and the management needs to take the most stringent action against her. However, if there is something absolutely beyond the employee's control, the company's arbitrary committee can review the "abnormal behavior" and then come up with a justifiable decision regarding the necessary action to be taken.

Regards, Arif ur Rehman