Employees are the lifeblood of every company. In most cases, they are the reason for the company’s existence. They are the reason why it’s reaching new heights. However, employees can also be the cause of the company’s downfall.
Employees can have bouts of unproductivity. They can experience personal problems that can spill over to their work life. They can also be the reason for high levels of absenteeism in your company.
What is Absenteeism?
Absenteeism is a huge problem for businesses all over the world. It’s one of the leading causes of lost productivity and revenue and costs American companies more than $225 billion annually.
Employees are absent from work for various reasons. Some are due to personal problems, while others are due to health-related issues. Whatever the reason may be, absenteeism can harm your company’s bottom line.
As an employer, it’s important to find ways to deal with absenteeism if you want to save your company from future dangers. However, true and tried solutions might not be suitable for your company. Instead, taking a step back and tackling the problem one step at a time is good.
Find The Source
The first step is to find the source of the problem. There’s no use in trying to fix a problem if you don’t know where it’s coming from. In most cases, absenteeism is caused by several factors.
First, some employees might be absent because of personal problems, and it could also be due to health-related issues. Some of your employees might also not be motivated to come to work because of their job situation. To find the root of the problem, you’ll have to look into it yourself or ask for help.
Look Into the Personal Lives of Employees
This might sound like an invasion of privacy, but it’s necessary if you want to get to the bottom of the problem. In some cases, absenteeism is caused by personal problems that employees are facing. It could be anything from family issues to relationship problems.
If you have a hunch that this is the case, you can try to talk to the employee and see if there’s anything you can do to help. However, you should tread lightly. You don’t want to come off as intrusive or nosy.
Check If There Are Health-Related Issues
Another common cause of absenteeism is health-related issues. For example, employees might be absent because they’re sick, or they might be absent because of a family member’s health. If you think this is the case, you can try to talk to the employee and see if there’s anything you can do to help.
You can also offer company-wide health insurance. It will help employees feel more secure in their jobs and will encourage them to come to work even when they
Ask Managers to Help You
In some cases, the problem might not be with the employees. The problem might be with the managers. If you think this is the case, you can try to talk to the managers and see if they’re doing anything causing the absenteeism.
You can also ask them for help in finding ways to deal with the problem. After all, they’re the ones who are closest to the employees. In addition, they might have some ideas that you haven’t thought of.
Encourage a Culture of Openness
You should also encourage a culture of openness in your company. It will help employees feel more comfortable coming to you with their problems. It will also help you discover potential issues before they become absences.
To encourage a culture of openness, you can hold regular meetings where employees can voice their concerns. You can also have an anonymous feedback system for better communications between your bottomline and its managers.
Have a Robust Recruitment System in Place
Your first line of defense against absenteeism is hiring the right employees. If you have a robust recruitment system, you’ll be less likely to hire employees prone to absenteeism.
To find the right employees, you should conduct thorough background checks. You should also use psychological tests to screen applicants who might be dangerous to your company. An excellent psychological test are cognitive exams for employment. These cognitive exams cover various topics, including job-related skills, work ethic, and motivation. These can measure which applicant is likely to be absent due to their work ethic or overall motivation.
Robust recruitment systems also ensure that you have good retention rates. If you have a good retention rate, your employees are happy with their jobs and less likely to be absent. In addition, you can offer competitive salaries, good benefits, and a positive work environment to improve your retention rate.
These are just some of the many ways you can deal with absenteeism in your company. With a little effort, you can find the root of the problem and a solution that works for you.
