Absenteeism is far from ideal and can put genuine strains on a business, from disrupted workflows to confused colleagues and management problems. When employees are missing from their job for a day or a week with very little warning, it can cause a knock-on effect which makes it harder for the rest of the organisation to function.
But once you get to the heart of why employees are not showing up or taking lengthy, unexplained leave, you can work towards pulling out the problem by its roots. In this article, we’ll explore what causes absenteeism to occur, how to address absenteeism with an employee, and how managers and leaders can develop a strategy to manage employees’ excessive absenteeism at work.
Absenteeism is when an employee consistently does not turn up to work over a period (or periods) of time, and offers either little or no explanation. This is not simply being ‘absent’, as people may be out of the office for a number of reasons: annual leave, sick leave, medical appointments, family emergencies, or other authorised time away (also known as planned time away or PTO) and absences at short notice.
Rather, absentee employees are chronically not at work and do not—or even refuse to—give a “good reason” as to why they are not showing up. This could be stealthy, i.e. leaving an hour or two early, each day.
The definition has its nuances, if only because absenteeism can be a result of legitimate concerns like stress, burnout, and other long-term health problems. But when absences are happening a lot and appear unjustified, managers need to pay attention and consider whether they’re dealing with an absentee employee.
There are a few major factors that drive absenteeism in the workplace:
Demanding jobs are called that for a reason. When workload is consistently high, it can take its toll on employee wellbeing. Significant stress at work has been shown to impact physical and mental health, both in terms of burnout but also irritability, mood, and even disrupting immune systems. Stress and anxiety can also damage productivity and the quality of people’s work, not least because it can lead to poorer decision-making, according to some studies.
Scientific research suggests that workplace stress is a neglected aspect of mental health. Burnout has the potential to cause depression and anxiety disorders, but it can also expose people to long-term health problems like cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, insomnia and others.
The inverse of absenteeism, presenteeism ironically goes hand-in-hand with the former. Employees sometimes carry on working in spite of being ill or unfit for work, either because they don’t want to acknowledge an issue or appear to be “letting the side down”. A study from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that presenteeism is more acute in the UK, with workers more likely than their European counterparts to persevere at work through sickness.
Aside from increasing the chances of passing on contagious illnesses to colleagues, presenteeism is worse for the individual’s health and their productivity in the long-run. Showing up actually makes it harder to get over an illness because they are not taking the necessary time to recuperate, which can lead to longer absences afterwards—not to mention colleagues’ absences caused by catching whatever bug is going around!
On the wider point of sickness, there may be a deeper problem beneath employees turning up and trying to “work” through their illness: access to healthcare. In the UK, it’s not always easy to get a GP appointment and scheduling one can be hard to do. In fact, employees may end up having to take time off work in order to make an appointment, which does little to tackle the problem of absences.
One of the trickier influencers of employees showing up to work is their level of engagement. If employees aren’t committed to the organisation, they may simply try to avoid working as much as they can. Some reports say engaged employees take less than 50% of the number of sick days than those who are not.
Employees with families often have to juggle different obligations and priorities. It could be that an employee’s child is sick for a short while, or they are struggling to find childcare. There may also be more enduring responsibilities like caring for a dependent family member.
According to the CIPD, 15% of employees in the UK have experienced bullying of some kind, including 8% reporting harassment and 4% citing sexual harassment. These incidents can occur across a wide range of behaviours, from subtle jokes to acts of intimidation. If this is happening to employees, they may be not turning up to work in order to avoid situations which are harmful or uncomfortable.
Equally, when an employee and their managers lack mutual respect or have a fallout, they—rightly or wrongly—see no other option but to avoid situations that could be stressful or lead to conflict.
When employees are regularly absent from work, it naturally creates an immediate workflow problem. But when you peek behind the scenes at the cumulative impact of staff absences on productivity, you may find the figures alarming.
The IPPR study mentioned earlier also found that employees now lose an average equivalent of 44 days’ productivity due to working through sickness. This is not to mention the annual cost to employers, which Public Health England estimates to be £29 billion a year. The Institute for Employment Studies also found that between 2 and 16% of employees’ annual salary may be spent on absences on the whole.
The factors that result in absenteeism are often not in employers’ control. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t proactive steps available to boost the employee experience and reduce absenteeism in the workplace:
A frequently-cited reason for people quitting their job is that they feel ignored or that their voices didn’t count. This is known as employee recognition, and it is a driver of absenteeism as well. In terms of how to address absenteeism with an employee, HR teams and managers need to be swift in identifying what the problems are, and clear and empathetic in their communication style.
For example, let’s say an employee has persistent genuine absences. This may be because they are struggling with self-esteem at work. Booking a meeting to directly address those issues is vital to making the steps towards change, and a safe and understanding environment facilitates an honest and open conversation, especially if there are sensitive issues under discussion.
After an employee has been absent for a period, return-to-work interviews are another option which gives employees and employers space to discuss potential problems and develop a plan to help employees feel ready to come back for good.
Covid-19 changed the world in many ways, and one of its enduring impacts has been on work culture. Remote working has been proven to benefit work-life balance by offering employees more flexibility, and it could have a significant impact on chronic absenteeism. For those workers who don’t feel particularly engaged, having a hybrid or flexible schedule can better fit their lifestyles and therefore encourage them to be more attentive (and present) during chosen working hours.
This is as much to do with trust as it is convenience. Flexible schedules put the onus on the employee to deliver their work on time, and allowing them this option gives them the freedom, and the responsibility, to do so.
Absenteeism is in many ways a product of mental and physical health issues. As we discussed earlier, stress and anxiety can impact the quality of people’s work, but this goes far beyond work-related triggers. It could be due to personal factors like grief or financial hardship.
If employees are having a tough time, employers are well-placed to offer a range of support—from financial to mental and physical. This could be as simple as gym salary sacrifice, but also more tailored help through Employee Assistance Programmes, offering financial guidance, carer support, trauma support and counselling services. Vivup’s employee benefits platform can help organisations support employees before they reach crisis points like these with preventative wellbeing measures.
Staff incentives are known to help teams feel more appreciated and that time spent at work is worthwhile. To address absenteeism in particular, there are specific incentives which help tackle the root causes like poor physical and mental wellbeing and financial difficulties: health challenges, gym memberships, group exercise classes, Cycle to Work schemes, and healthy group lunch days. Health cash plans can also help employees take the edge off of waiting for a GP appointment, which makes it easier to balance health appointments with working hours. Other employee benefits, such as Home & Electronics, Lifestyle Savings, and Family Care benefits, can also help employees to feel valued and appreciated. Offering a broad and competitive range of benefits that shows employees that they are valued, helps them to feel more committed and a sense of belonging at work.
Find more insights on employee engagement, wellbeing and support strategies in the workplace, plus other articles on our blog. Alternatively, you can start exploring Vivup’s benefits platform today to see how it could improve your teams’ experience at work—just request a free demo.