3 Tips For Dealing With Employee Absences

Employee absences are just one of the realities of work. Employees have lives outside of work, and while work might be their priority a majority of the time, sometimes they just can’t make it into work. Things happen, and it’s not always an employee’s fault.

Whatever the reason for their absence, it still needs to be dealt with that day at work, and the rest of the team needs to make sure the day’s duties are taken care of. Each state has different laws regarding employee absence and how it needs to be dealt with.

Some states require workplaces to give their workers dedicated sick-leave for these emergency situations, while others give employees one paid time off bank. Once you’ve brushed up on your state’s specific laws, you can begin to come up with a plan so you aren’t blindsided when employees take time off.

1.Create A Workplace Culture Of Open Communication

Open communication is possibly the most important thing your workplace culture can have, as it keeps everyone informed of what’s going on. You can’t help employees with any issues they might be having if they aren’t willing to open up to you and bring up those concerns.

Maybe an employee is going through a rough time right now, and they foresee multiple absences in their future. If that employee talks to you about these concerns, you can work together to rearrange their schedule to result in as few unexpected absences as possible.

This is beneficial to the employee, who will be able to deal with those challenges without having to take time off of work and worry about getting in trouble for their absences. Open communication between the employee and management is one of the best ways to solve problems before they escalate.

2.Keep An Eye Out For Patterns And Hold Employees Accountable

Discipline should not be your first instinct when it comes to unapproved employee absences or tardiness. Instead, apply your communication skills and talk to the offending employee to figure out what’s going on.

One-off incidents happen, and rushing to discipline employees for them isn’t the best idea. Doing so could create resentment and lower management-employee trust. Take it slow, get all the details, and keep an eye out for patterns.

Does an employee always call out on Wednesdays, or always show up late on the busiest day of the week? The employee might have a valid reason for this pattern, and a simple solution could be a slight change in scheduling.

If you’ve spoken about it, and there doesn’t seem to be a valid reason for the consistent absences, it might be time to implement some kind of disciplinary action. Depending on the situation, you might want to start with a verbal or written warning, then move onto even further disciplinary action if necessary.

3.Implement a Written Attendance Policy

Create a written policy that outlines what’s expected of your employees, as well as how many absences or tardiness incidents it will take to lead to disciplinary action. Talk to your team and tell them what the rules surrounding absences and tardiness are, and remind them where they access that policy on their own if they wish to.

In your written policy don’t include just what employees can’t do, and instead also add the leave they are entitled to. The attendance policy should be a document that lets your employees know what leave they’re entitled to, how to take it, eligibility requirements, and any other factors they might need to know.

Article Link - 3 Tips For Dealing With Employee Absences

Author - Jessica Aurelia

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