Q&A - What is absenteeism and what can businesses do about it?
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Absenteeism concerns employees who don’t turn up for work and who don’t have a legitimate reason. It is, therefore, largely about unauthorised absence from work.
There are various ways of calculating absenteeism – here is a popular formula:
The important point to remember about absenteeism is that is represents a significant business cost. Sickness absence alone costs UK businesses around £600 for each worker per year (source: BusinessLink). The key for management is to understand the reasons for absent employees (genuine or not). E.g.
- Genuine sickness, bereavement, bullying, stress
- Some employees simply “playing the system”
- Predictable / traditional absenteeism –e.g. Monday / Friday, when there is a major sporting event during the day or at the end of a shift pattern
What can a business do to reduce absenteeism? Here is a list of some possible actions:
- Understand the causes
- Set targets and monitor trends
- Have a clear sickness & absence policy
- Provide rewards for good attendance
- Consider the wider issues of employee motivation
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