Every employee is entitled to holiday, that’s time off with full pay. Most employers recognize this and respect it. After all, rested employees tend to be happier and more productive.
The bigger issue is absences. This can be harder for an employer to negotiate as some absences are a result of genuine reasons, such as illness or specific events. However, for every genuine absence, there is at least one that isn’t. That’s people pretending to be sick in order to have the day off.
This practice can cost a business thousands of dollars every year. Costs include reduced productivity, having to pay extra staff or overtime, and even verifying the authenticity of the absence. All those costs affect the bottom line.
Of course, if the employer thinks you are pretending to be ill when you are actually sick, it can lead to a difficult situation. If you find yourself in this scenario it’s a good idea to chat with your unfair dismissal employment lawyer.
It’s in the interest of employees and employers to avoid high levels of absenteeism. This helps to verify the authenticity of those who are absent and maintain productivity at work.
There are several things that can be done to reduce absenteeism.
Open Door Policy
One of the biggest issues in the workplace is still bullying and harassment. If people are on the receiving end of this it is inevitable they will feel despondent about coming to work. The employee won’t get the best benefits from the working environment and are more likely to be absent.
An employer can avoid this issue by having a strict policy on bullying and harassment. Naturally, the policy is only good if all issues are investigated and fairly resolved. To do this, your HR or management team need to develop an open-door policy. This invites employees to bring up issues without being judged.
Overwork
Employees can be stressed for many reasons and they are not all work-related. Unfortunately, stress leads to burnout and this isn’t beneficial for employees or employers.
To prevent this, employers should offer access to a counselling service. In addition, it’s important to ensure all staff take their allotted holidays and don’t spend excessive hours at work. You should also verify that workloads are set correctly.
Lack Of Progress
Most employees don’t like the annual review but this is a great opportunity to give an employee an opportunity to provide feedback. At the same time, an employer should highlight the things they are doing right. This gives the employee more confidence and helps them to feel like they are valued, more than just a cog in a machine.
Employers will be surprised at how much difference this can make to morale in the workplace, productivity, and reduced absenteeism.
In short, the more valued employees feel, and the better the environment they work in, the more likely they are to stay working for you and avoid unnecessary absences. Take care of your employees and they will take care of you.
