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Absenteeism

Absenteeism: A real problem in the Workplace

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:21

Karen Fulton and Eva Mudely, director and senior associate at Bowman Gilfillan, define absenteeism as, “unauthorised leave by an individual who intends to return to work.”

They further state that, “One of the basic duties of an employee is to render services to his/her employer. A failure by an employee to render such services runs contrary to this duty, thereby undermining the very essence of the employment relationship.”

This indicates the serious light in which absenteeism is viewed. Unfortunately, and as many bloggers have noted on Skills-Universe, some employees fail to attend work regularly for a variety of reasons. In some cases, there is a genuine problem with getting to work due to transportation or family issues.

However, in many instances, sick leave is abused and most employers have employees who favour Monday, Friday or public holiday stay-aways.

So what can be done to manage absenteeism?

It is in the employer’s best interests to have a Work Attendance policy or Disciplinary Code for absenteeism in place. Furthermore, all employees need to be aware of and accept the contents of such a policy.

In keeping with the guidelines as set out in the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal, the organisation’s policy should set out a scale of offences with regard to absenteeism leading up to the disciplinary process.

The reasons for absenteeism will determine whether it can be seen as a form of misconduct or treated as incapacity. In the case of misconduct, the element of fault must be present.

In all cases, the process should begin with counselling before verbal or written warnings and dismissal is considered.

A further point of interest raised is the need for employers to consistently apply the rules regarding absenteeism.

It is demoralising to employees when they are treated differently to their peers for the same offence. If this is found to be the case, it is imperative that affected employees report bad management practices to senior management.

There is very little doubt that absenteeism affects organisational productivity.

In order for employers to take a stronger stance on the issue with a stricter policy, employees need to be made aware of the impact their absence has on work outputs, the additional strain placed on their colleagues and the general disruption created by excessive or long absences.

Creating awareness of a new policy can be delivered through staff information sessions or an employee wellness programme.

References:

Click here for the Code of Good Practice: Arrangement of Working Time

Bowman Gilfillan

Skills Universe