We’ve all been there, feeling poorly and needing time to rest and recuperate to feel like our normal self again. We’ve all had important appointments we need to attend, be that for our health or other reasons. We’re all human and sometimes life can get in the way of work. This is normal from time to time, however, it starts to become an issue when this happens repeatedly and without solid reason, leading to ongoing absenteeism in the workplace. In this blog post we’ll be exploring:
- What is absenteeism in the workplace?
- Causes of absenteeism in the workplace
- When is absenteeism excessive?
- The impact of absenteeism in the workplace
- What can you do to overcome an absenteeism issue?
What is absenteeism in the workplace?
Absenteeism in the workplace is when employees are consistently off work, it’s generally unplanned and without a good reason. If your employees are consistently absent, there could be a deeper reason as to why. Although it sometimes can’t be helped, when absenteeism in the workplace becomes excessive, it begins to affect the rest of your employees and teams in a negative way. Let’s take a look at the different types of absenteeism:
Authorised and planned
Authorised absences are fine. They’re planned absences that have been arranged and confirmed by managers. This can be anything from a summer holiday to a doctor's appointment, personal leave, parental leave and compassionate leave. When employees submit requests for time off, absences aren’t an issue because managers and teams can plan and share workloads around their colleagues’ absences.
Unplanned, genuine absences
These types of absences are also fine; they can’t be helped. Becoming ill, having family problems or having accidents that require time off from work can happen to anyone at any time. Although mildly disruptive, unplanned absences should be accepted as part of life.
Unauthorised absences
Not going to work without an approved reason is classed as unauthorised absenteeism. These are the absences that can be a problem for businesses, as the workload is piled onto other people and puts strain on team members.
What are the causes of absenteeism in the workplace?
There is a whole range of things that can cause your workforce to be absent: unexpected emergencies, illnesses and unexpected commuting issues, for example. Certain things are avoidable and can be sorted out with support from HR and the business. Some are completely unavoidable. Let’s take a look at what can cause absenteeism in the workplace:
Minor illnesses
Unfortunately, we can’t control when we get sick and when it happens, rest is the most important thing. In the UK, employees take on average around 6.9 days of sick leave per year. Minor illnesses account for around one third of total days lost to sickness. When staff feel ill, it’s important that management is informed as early as possible so that support and cover for absences can be made easier.
Mental health
35.2% of UK workers are suffering from mental health issues, with 58% of respondents in our own research confirming that their job was the key contributor to such feelings. Additionally, 70% of people who do suffer from mental health issues said that their depression or anxiety can sometimes affect their work.
If employees feel burned out and stressed, they’re less likely to feel excited about work. Perhaps coming to work might only add to the stress they’re feeling.
If any of your employees are struggling with their mental health, it’s important to have a workplace culture that cares for employee wellbeing. Create places and environments where they feel supported and provide guidance for how and where they can discuss their feelings if they’re comfortable doing so.
Major illness and long-term conditions
Unexpected illnesses, chronic conditions and accidents that require operations may mean that employees are off work for a long time. It can be difficult for some employers to manage this. Your employees are your main priority of course, but this doesn’t take away the strain it can put on others within your team to get things done.
Managing and supporting employees who are living with long term conditions or illnesses will be handled differently by each company. Make sure you seek advice from your HR team on how best to handle each individual situation, and encourage open discussions with employees in this situation to understand how best to cater to their requirements.
Workplace bullying or harassment
One of the darker causes of absenteeism in the workplace can be due to bullying or harassment. Workplace bullying creates a toxic workplace culture of conflict and makes employees anxious and worried about coming to work. Employees will avoid work when they’re being harassed. Creating a culture where the door is open for employees to talk about their problems and report any incidents is vital to maintaining a happy workforce, resolving any issues and avoiding unnecessary absenteeism in the workplace.
Family issues
Family members falling ill, emergencies, snow days, injuries. Employees with caring responsibilities, children or elderly parents may have to miss work sometimes to take care of their families.
Nurturing a culture where your people can support those family members while also being able to work flexibly will help them feel seen, recognised and appreciative of your understanding of their situation.
Bereavement
Coping with bereavement is one of the hardest things that anyone can go through. People cope in different ways and may be absent from work for an extended period of time, especially if the death was sudden or a really close family member. It’s important that employees have the right time to grieve and sort out any legal responsibilities they may have.
While this sort of absence can’t usually be foreseen, offering flexibility to colleagues going through a bereavement will let them either take a few days out, or work at their own pace for a period of time if they feel up to it. A clause on bereavement in your absence policy should outline your company-specific process for this.
Commuting issues
Img Alt: Rush hour commute to work
Underground delays. Cancelled trains. The bus hasn’t turned up. There are many ways that travel can impact the journey into work which might result in employees being late. Bad weather is usually what stops every mode of transport in its tracks. Storms, ice and snow can all slow down the commute.
Studies even show that longer commute times can have a huge impact on employee retention and productivity. This is where flexible working options are helpful. For employees who work in roles that enable them to work from home when necessary, by enabling remote work in bad weather, you reduce the risk of accidents or delays on the commute and you don’t lose any work time when your teams can operate remotely.
Encourage employees who cannot work remotely, and are likely to face any commute struggles during bouts of bad weather, to inform managers at the earliest opportunity. This will help to manage cover while they make their way in, or rotas can be switched around in advance to reduce absenteeism in the workplace.
Team and management issues
Disagreements between management and teams can sometimes leave people feeling disengaged or deflated. Negative interactions with your team or management can make employees nervous or disinclined to go into work, in order to avoid conflict or confrontation.
It’s important to create a culture where healthy debate and discussions can occur, where disagreements in ideas and viewpoints can be discussed in a safe space without employees feeling negative and disengaged.
When team and management issues become so strong that colleagues refuse to come to work and do their job, this is a matter for HR to investigate and resolve.
The impact of excessive absenteeism
The odd day off here and there can’t be helped. When absenteeism in the workplace becomes excessive, it can really slow down business operations and start to impact the wellbeing of your teams. If not managed correctly, this can lead to even further absences from the people carrying the increased workload.
Here are the number of ways that excessive absenteeism can affect your business:
Productivity loss
Sustained colleague absences can have a huge impact on the productivity of your entire team. The rest of your employees will have to share the workload of absent colleagues on top of their own, which can cause added stress and impact deadlines.
Poor quality of work
If other employees are being overloaded with extra work, the deadlines can come thick and fast which might impact the quality of work being produced, or the quality of service being given to customers.
Financial loss
Ongoing unauthorised absenteeism in the workplace will eventually have a negative knock-on effect on company profits. The financial implications of illness costs the UK economy an estimated £77.5 billion a year. In the US, the total costs related to lost productivity due to absenteeism totaled $84 billion. That’s a whole lot of money lost.
Negative company culture
A negative culture where gossip is rife, people feel uncomfortable and a general lack of team spirit will have a big impact on absenteeism in the workplace.
Signs of a negative company culture include things like:
- Office gossip
- Lack of respect and empathy
- Unhealthy office competition
- No options for flexible working
- Lack of strategy and leadership skills
- Poor internal communications
It’s important to put time and effort into getting your company culture right so that colleagues feel seen, heard and excited to come to work and be part of a valuable company.
Demotivated and demoralised employees
Frequent absences can create tension amongst teams who have been picking up the workload. They’ll start to feel stressed and burned out. Motivation is critical to performance, so once your reduced team becomes demotivated and demoralised, the business and its operations will really suffer.
When is absenteeism in the workplace considered excessive?
All companies will have different policies around absence and absenteeism; some are more relaxed or managed on a case-by-case basis and others will have strict procedures in place. There is no set rule as to exactly how many absences constitutes excessive absenteeism.
Larger companies are more likely to see higher absence rates among their workforce than smaller businesses. It’s up to your company’s leadership and HR teams to define what counts as excessive absenteeism, then communicate the rules on absence and attendance throughout the company.
While each company can make their own decision, there is a way you can determine when absences become excessive: the Bradford Factor.
This is a benchmarking tool for managers to track individual staff absences. The Bradford Factor follows the idea that frequent and unplanned absences are more disruptive than longer absences and so they are given a higher score. For example, someone who has three periods of absence of two days each will get a higher score than someone who has one period of six days off work.
Using a method like this can help you keep track of absences and notify any potential areas of concern or patterns that might count as excessive absenteeism, which will help when you need to take action.
What can you do to fix It?
Nurturing an engaged workforce can help lower your rates of absenteeism by increasing motivation and productivity levels with happier, more content, employees. Gallup found that highly engaged business units realise an 81% difference in absenteeism in the workplace.
Focus on engaging your employees and providing them with the information they need about absences, such as clarity on absence procedures and how they can get support from you as an employer. For now, here are some tips on how you can increase engagement in your workplace and support your employees:
Offer workplace flexibility & remote work options
Giving the flexibility of hybrid work or offering flexible hours is one of the best things a company can offer its employees. The CIPD states that flexible work arrangements can reduce absence rates as it allows employees to manage disability and long-term health conditions and caring responsibilities, as well as supporting their mental health and stress.
When flexible working arrangements are encouraged, it is likely to enhance work-life balance. It also makes life easier when attending appointments, and picking up children from school.
You must utilise the right technology to allow your employees to work from home with the same level of security and functionality as they can from the office. Having a digital workspace such as an employee intranet that lets your employees communicate seamlessly, socialise with one another and access the latest company news is crucial. Striking a balance of hybrid working allows employees to have a better work life balance and has a huge impact on wellbeing, productivity and engagement.
Reduce workplace stress
Stress is one of the biggest obstacles to employee engagement in the workforce today, with our research finding 47% of people feel stressed or overwhelmed at work. As an employer, you should do everything you can to reduce workplace stress and place an importance on workplace wellbeing. Here are some suggestions:
- Ensure all staff take regular breaks
- Wellness initiatives such as gym memberships and wellness subscriptions
- More paid time off
- Flexible schedules
- Creating a comfortable office space
- Invest in technology that works for your employees
- Provide work support
Provide mental health support
When your staff are stressed, ill or under pressure, they can’t perform to their full capacity. This applies to mental health as well as our physical health. As we mentioned before, some of the main causes of absenteeism in the workplace are mental-health related. Sometimes, employees struggling with mental health issues need extra support than just mindfulness activities and wellness initiatives.
Why not introduce a service like an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme)? These services are confidential and give employees advice on things that might be affecting their work performance.
“According to the CIPD, 1 in 4 people will be impacted by poor mental health at some point in their lives. This is a major cause of both short-term and long-term absence which is why it is vital for businesses to offer appropriate mental health support. Here at Oak, we offer self-referred talking therapy sessions through our private health insurance and a 24/7 support line which offers CBT sessions through our EAP. Offering this support allows our employees to take control of their mental health when they need it”
- Rachel Davison, Chief of Staff at Oak Engage
Place importance on communication
No matter the reason for your employees’ absences, it is crucial you communicate with them and that they feel comfortable to communicate back. Employees who are absent may feel incredibly isolated or worried. A simple check-in from time to time can do the world of good. Make it known to your employees that you’re there to support them through this time and make them aware of any extra support or assistance that is available.
By supporting your employees, you can help them ease back into returning to work when they feel ready to do so. The functions of a social intranet such as community hubs and a homepage with company news and posts from employees will help your people feel connected and part of the community.
Recognise and reward attendance
Recognising and rewarding employees for showing up, and appreciating all the work they’ve done, does wonders for employee motivation and engagement. If you’re continuously recognising the hard work your employees do, they’re going to feel proud, motivated and want to achieve more, so they’ll keep bringing their best self to work. Some companies have reward programs for employees with good attendance, such as:
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Paid days off for employees who meet attendance targets
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Office games to win extra cash or time off for good attendance
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Special gifts for employees who meet attendance requirements over a time period
Have an absence management policy
To successfully manage absenteeism in the workplace, your organisation needs a clear absence management policy. This should set out how you deal with short term, long term and habitual absences. You should make sure each staff member understands the policy and that it is stored somewhere they can easily access and refer to if needed.
Your workplace should have a system that allows you to monitor employees' time off, which should be anything from holidays to sickness and unauthorised absences. With this type of system in place, you’ll be able to easily analyse and note any patterns, helping you understand the causes of absenteeism within your organisation. Oak Engage has its own inbuilt features so you can see when staff members are off and record any unexplained absences.
To conclude
Supporting your employees through challenging times and creating a positive environment for them to bring their best selves to work is key to reducing absenteeism in the workplace. By utilising a tool such as Oak’s intranet software, you can share important absence policies, record employee time off and make communicating and supporting your employees through any bumps in the road a whole lot easier.