Absenteeism is a serious issue for many companies, and it can have a negative impact on the company as a whole. Here are some tips on how to reduce this problem by making use of an cloud HR system.
Make Attendance Measurable
Having a clear attendance policy in place is the first step any business should take towards reducing levels of absenteeism. It’s difficult to measure a lack of attendance compared to staff just being late if there are no clear guidelines in place – for example, is an employee late if they’re five minutes late or three hours? At what point is it considered absent compared to late to work? It’s also important to outline the consequences of being absent too many times. With software, you can upload documents and guides to advise staff on these issues so they’re fully aware. The benefit of this is that it can also be easily automated, meaning the only work that goes into this is reading the information displayed and evaluating based on that.
Track Work Time for Staff Members
Once the company has a measurable attendance policy, it is easier to track the time employees spend at work. Time tracking software is a great solution for this, which remove the hassle of time sheets and keeping physical logs of clocking in and out of work. This also means that employee data will be stored accurately and digitally, so it can be analysed and reported on at a future date. This way, there will be no doubt as to how many times a staff member has been absent from work. Tracking work time can also be a good way to look at ways to improve productivity for employees in general, especially when the employees are given the responsibility of tracking their own time. By doing this, it is easy to track exactly what people are doing and you can identify people who aren’t tracking their time properly.
Provide Support to Employees
There’s a variety of reasons why staff may miss work, from ongoing health issues to childcare obligations and burnout, or even feelings of anxiety or stress from workplace issues. Whatever the reason, it’s crucial that employers support their staff with these types of issues to stop them getting out of control. Communicating with staff about the reasons for their absences and how they can be best supported will help them avoid work in the future. Being able to provide the appropriate support for employees can be absolutely key to ensuring that your employees are working when they should. This ties into looking after the general wellbeing of staff members, not only should you be considering physical problems, but also mental difficulties that some people might be going through. Being able to use a system that can make people aware of these problems and the appropriate course of action to take establishes a level of transparency that can bring the team closer.
Offer Flexible Working
Flexible working opportunities can help to minimise the risk of employees taking time off work because of home commitments or personal responsibilities. An employee who has the option to work around these types of obligations will feel more valued by the company and appreciated, which will minimise absences and also encourage productivity. But setting expectations and boundaries is key to success, so digital tracking systems are a great way of keeping track of when staff are working and when they’re not.
Increase Employee Engagement
HR software is great for encouraging employee engagement and retention as it can be used to encourage a better company culture. From development and training to communicating with staff and rewarding positive behaviours, there are many ways that software can be used to boost morale and motivate disengaged employees. When staff feel like their work is meaningful and they have a purpose within a company, they’re more likely to value their time there and absenteeism is minimised. By offering incentives for staff who show up consistently and are loyal to the business, staff will be motivated to turn up each day and give it their all which benefits both the employees and the company as a whole.
Absenteeism Featured Image by Sergey Nikolaev on Flickr.
Theresa Turner
Nice Post.