Improving Productivity and Minimizing Absenteeism At Work

One obvious factor in productivity is absenteeism.

Each company has its own different protocols and ways to make sure people come to work. Managers make sure everyone will participate in their jobs and their employer’s work processes. But there are some fundamental guidelines that can help reduce problems where people simply fail to show up for work, or are consistently late to their jobs.

Here’s what we’ve learned about minimizing absenteeism at work while counseling California businesses as a top staffing services firm.

Set Clear Expectations

Policies on absenteeism should be codified in an employee handbook. They should apply consistently to everyone at every level of company. That reduces feelings of resentment and rebellion that may otherwise boil in the ranks.

Policies have to be well advertised and well understood by employees. There should be a consistent process for calling in, a process for inventing excuses and figuring out when absenteeism is justified. All of this should be clearly explained, and followed. Otherwise, issue of favoritism start to come up.

Going by the Book

There are also some laws that companies must follow regarding absenteeism.

First, companies have to look at the Family Medical Leave Act or FMLA to determine when family related emergencies justify any sort of absence from work. That’s true whether it’s a one day thing, like a doctor visit, or a longer period of time for maternity or other family issue.

There’s also jury duty, which is a protected form of absenteeism under federal law.

In addition, companies have to look at disability issues and ADA laws when figuring out how to address absenteeism. In some cases, built-in benefits like long-term disability may provide a solution to these kinds of issues.

Bring Compassion to the Process

The best companies also understand that they can’t address absenteeism completely in a punitive manner. For instance, working out transportation involves more than just yelling at people to fix their cars. Any company in an urban space, or even any company in a suburban space, can improve productivity outcomes by offering alternative transportation or helping workers figure out certain kinds of problems. While it is inherently the responsibility of the employee to have a working vehicle, individual frontline workers are not wizards who can guarantee 100% uptime for the cars and trucks that they drive, or eliminate traffic problems from their commuting routes.

By cooperating with people at all levels of staff, the company can start to improve its numbers on absenteeism. Managers can continue to do periodic evaluations that will reveal any “problem people” where individuals are taking advantage of company largesse, but at the same time, companies that are proactive in assisting workers and giving them resources are going to come out ahead.

This is just the beginning for building a corporate culture that works — that cuts down on turnover and absenteeism and other productivity killers, while improving the reputation of the firm. For more, read our available HR related resources, as we detail how we serve clients in the Fresno, California area.

Looking for additional support with managing your workforce? Contact our team of experienced recruiters, proudly serving Fresno, California.