When hiring an employee, you naturally expect them to fulfil their duties. However, sometimes, the workers you employ may try to exploit the system by receiving the same pay despite diminished performance. Poor staff attendance is a costly problem to face. In this article, we will discuss it.
Employee absenteeism refers to the frequent and habitual absence of a worker. This can include unscheduled absences, repeated sick days, and blatant no-shows. However, it can also manifest as continual tardiness and early finishes. The key distinguishing factor is a pattern that becomes evident over time. Overall, it constitutes misconduct that is particularly damaging to any business.
Attendance issues only become apparent after causing a significant negative impact. In other words, if you identify a case of absenteeism, it is already too late.
Patterns in which absenteeism appears take months or even years to become evident. From the moment they start until you intervene, these poor practices deplete your budget. Therefore, the most sensible approach is to prevent the abuse of the attendance system from happening in the first place.
It’s essential to recognise the warning signs. There are specific indicators that a worker may need investigation regarding their attendance; we will examine three of the main ones. These signs alone do not necessarily prove that an employee is guilty of absenteeism, however. They might be occasional missteps or isolated incidents - therefore, look out for behavioural patterns.
Everyone falls ill from time to time. Sick pay is specifically provided for that reason, as no one can predict when they will become unwell. However, the loophole here is that, unlike holiday entitlement, sick days are not capped. Additionally, unless they last longer than seven days, employees do not need to provide a doctor’s note to receive statutory sick pay. In other words, an undocumented sick period under a week still warrants pay. This period will not be deducted from their holiday entitlement either.
There are no specific legal guidelines on the number of sick days an employee can take. Sometimes, this is specified in the employment contract signed by both parties. However, even then, it rarely stops the abuse of taking illegitimate time off claiming illness. It is advisable to analyse how often employees call in sick to spot any patterns.
Unless you are informed of any underlying condition the worker has, taking 1-5 sick days each month should raise some red flags. However, do not rush to accuse the employee immediately. Instead, enforce the self-certification policy. Upon their return, request that they confirm their illness via email, a form, or any other method that ensures it is documented.
Buddy punching involves tampering with another employee's timesheets to hide their lateness or absence. This behaviour is especially common in workplaces that use hourly wage systems rather than fixed salaries, which require workers to clock in and out. It presents a significant financial risk to your business as well as to the company culture.
Not only do you end up paying a staff member who isn't working, but it also puts strain on the employees who are present. The team is compelled to operate at reduced capacity, which is likely to negatively impact overall performance. This can foster resentment internally, leading to good workers leaving because they feel they are not being treated fairly.
It can also take another route, where the entire team is involved in the malpractice and actively participates in it, covering for one another. In this case, the issue might become particularly difficult to identify. Unless you carry out unannounced visits to the worksite, you may not notice it until it’s too late.
Absences without notice or with short notice are common issues. The latter can easily result in termination if they happen repeatedly. The main concern is the pressure it places on the team, who will need to work additional hours to cover for the absentee.
Similarly to buddy punching, it can generate resentment within the team. If left unaddressed, it might even lead employees to leave once they grow tired of covering for others. Finally, it sends a message to the rest of the team that such behaviour is acceptable. Consequently, more employees may feel encouraged to act in this manner way.
The pattern, however, indicates there is an underlying cause for this behaviour. Your employee may be hesitant to reveal it to you. It could be anything from difficulties in finding childcare on specific days to having to run errands that cannot be cancelled, such as attending medical appointments appointments.
Most of the time, these issues can be addressed by adding flexibility. Haphazard no-shows or unscheduled absences, however, indicate malicious misconduct.
As mentioned earlier, the most effective way to prevent absenteeism is through proactive measures. However, this term is quite broad and lacks clarity regarding specific actions to be taken. Below, we will detail particular strategies that could be implemented to improve staff attendance.
The main issue with traditional timesheets is how easily they can be tampered with. From accidents like spillages, rips, or losses to malicious acts such as editing previously recorded time entries, and more. This renders paper timesheets unreliable, thereby making them conducive to absenteeism practices.
It doesn’t mean you should completely abandon timesheets. They are still the most effective solution available. All you need to do is convert them into a digital format. Not only will this make them more secure and accessible, but it will likely save you time on corrections. For example, if you use Timesheet Portal, you will be able to disapprove timesheets that weren’t filled in correctly. It will then automatically notify the employee who completed them that corrections are needed.
Additionally, you can customise your digital timesheets to suit the specific needs of your business. These include paying different rates based on shift times, tasks completed, or the location.
Another benefit of digital time-tracking software is its accessibility. Most solutions are available as mobile apps, allowing your staff to log their time easily, even when they are away from their desktops. Some also come equipped with a GPS tracker to verify that workers have indeed arrived at and left the site as noted on their timesheets.
Digital timesheets can also be exported to your payroll system, streamlining the calculation of employee wages and reducing errors. If the solutions are integrated, your customised timesheet fields, such as the overtime rate, will also be calculated accordingly.
A foolproof way to prevent issues is to introduce every new employee to your attendance policy. Every business should have one, so if you do not, start creating one as soon as you finish this article. If you already have one, make sure to revise it to ensure it’s straightforward.
It should be concise yet very clear, outlining what is acceptable and the consequences of non-compliance. A good policy should clearly inform your employees of your expectations and what happens if they fail to meet them. This is where you should introduce a warning system, should you decide to implement one.
However, even the best policy in the world will be ineffective if you do not follow it. This means there should be no double standards or exemptions from the rules you have set. For example, if your top-performing employee breaks the policy a second time, which might require a temporary suspension, you must enforce their punishment, even if it temporarily affects business performance.
If you don’t, this will send a message to your staff that the policy is lenient and only applies in certain cases. This can cause numerous issues. Therefore, once you establish a policy, make sure you follow it.
You should inform your staff that their frequent absences are noticeable. Instead of accusing them directly, start by casually noting facts. For example, mention how you have observed they have been falling ill quite often recently or that they are usually late on Tuesdays. This might be enough for the employee to adjust their behaviour behaviour.
If it doesn’t, consider adopting a firmer approach by implementing countermeasures. For example, inform them that if they are late again on Tuesday, they will need to compensate for that time by working later on Wednesday. If they persist in taking sick days, ask them to do so by filling in a form 3-5 hours before the shift, and vice versa.
Finally, start asking questions. Is there a specific reason they are late on Tuesdays? Shouldn’t they see a doctor if they are feeling unwell so regularly? Again, make sure that the way you ask the questions doesn’t seem accusatory but instead comes from a place of genuine concern.
Although many preventative measures exist, it’s crucial to remember that, ultimately, you are working with living individuals. Absenteeism often stems from deeper underlying issues rather than mere irresponsibility. To effectively tackle this problem, you must identify these causes and work together with your staff to find a lasting solution.
Using the ‘care personally, challenge directly’ approach helps you find the real reasons for lateness or poor attendance and also strengthens your relationship with employees. Trusting you encourages them to share their concerns, enabling you to find solutions together instead of turning to harmful practices.
Staff attendance is crucial for optimising business performance. Frequent unexpected absences or habitual lateness by employees strain the team. It diminishes morale and reduces workforce capacity. Additionally, depending on your company’s arrangements, you risk paying an employee for hours not worked. Over time, this could result in significant financial losses.
The problem with malicious absenteeism is that it follows patterns, which only develop when a behaviour is repeated. In other words, by the time you notice something is wrong, you have already suffered losses. The best and safest approach is to prevent this from happening.
While there are several effective preventative measures, such as replacing traditional timesheets with their digital equivalents or implementing strict rules, the most important step is to identify the root cause. Then, work collaboratively with the offender to resolve it. It’s rare for attendance issues to arise from tardiness or a lack of responsibility alone. Therefore, by fostering trust and flexibility, you can meet your employees halfway. Not only will this help prevent financial losses, but it will also strengthen your relationship with the staff.
Are you prepared to put some preventive measures into action? Let us know.