Do you know that? You want to discuss something with an employee, but they are not at their desk? He is also not to be found at the coffee machine. And none of my colleagues have seen him today either. There is no sick note. The employee is simply not there. This may be a case of absenteeism.
What is absenteeism?
Absenteeism is the opposite of presenteeism, where employees come to work even though they are not supposed to. For example, when they are ill. In the case of absenteeism, on the other hand, employees stay away from work without justification, fail to keep appointments or do not keep to agreements.
Absenteeism therefore manifests itself in regular, unjustified absences. There can be many causes and reasons for absenteeism, including illness as well as private or company-related reasons. Some research has already taken a closer look at the phenomenon and has come to different conclusions.
These factors are the main causes of absenteeism:
- Withdraw to escape or avoid stressful activities
- Health impairments that employees do not want to admit or do not want to admit to themselves
- Lack of socialization within the company because employees do not find a connection with their colleagues
- Private problems or the feeling of having too little time for private matters
The consequences of absenteeism are far-reaching. Not only can it lead to the employee in question being dismissed, but the company is also threatened with financial losses due to unfinished tasks and missed deadlines. In addition, the impact on the working atmosphere and morale of colleagues can be very negative.
It is therefore important to recognize absenteeism and take measures against it.
Recognizing absenteeism with modern working time recording
Absenteeism manifests itself when employees are absent from work. Accordingly, they do not carry out the tasks assigned to them during their absences. Modern time recording systems such as timecard help to recognize absenteeism.
In many companies, the employees themselves are responsible for time recording. However, employers can view the working hours at any time. If you notice deviations because an employee records disproportionately few working hours, this may be an indication of absenteeism.
If the working time is recorded but the tasks are not completed, this is an indication of possible absenteeism. With digital time recording, it is possible to create projects, activities and tasks separately. This allows you to keep track of what your employees are working on. If there are inconsistencies, for example because no specific tasks are specified in the time recording or the specified tasks remain undone despite time recording, you should take action and check the case for absenteeism.
If you suspect absenteeism, the first thing to do is to talk to the employee concerned. It is important to find out whether it is a form of absenteeism at all or whether there is another reason.
If it is absenteeism, find out the cause so that you can react accordingly. The solution is often not that far away. If the absenteeism is due to excessive demands, for example, it may be possible to provide relief for employees. If the root cause of absenteeism lies in private problems or an unsatisfactory work-life balance, a flexible working model may be able to help.
Conclusion
Absenteeism can become a real problem that can have serious consequences for both employers and employees. With a digital time recording system such as timecard you can recognize absenteeism in the workplace at an early stage and have the opportunity to react. Measures usually begin with a discussion and root cause analysis.
You then take further steps individually. Every case is a little different and can have different causes and dimensions. However, an initial approach to improving the situation is often obvious. However, if nothing helps or the situation does not improve, you should always bear in mind that absenteeism can be a form of refusal to work. In the event of high absenteeism, this is grounds for a warning or, in the long term, justification for dismissal. Logically, however, these should be the last steps.
