Tips to Reduce Employee Absenteeism

Managing employees with different mindsets is a tremendous task for the human resources department in an organization. One of the important issues to be tackled by every human resource professional is employee absenteeism. There are various reasons cited by employees for their absenteeism and it is the responsibility of HR department people to check if the reasons are genuine and it is allowed per the rules of the organization. However, it is also equally important to minimize absenteeism among employees to maintain productivity. Let’s see here some tips that are useful in reducing employee absenteeism as given by some best HR consulting firms.

• Talk to the employee: If you find that an employee is frequently taking an off from the work, then, hold a meeting with the employee to discuss this. HR consultants suggest that the information regarding this meeting be conveyed to the employee in a discreet manner so that he/she may not face an embarrassing situation amidst their colleagues.
• Discuss the issue: In the meeting with the employee, convey your concerns regarding the employee’s absenteeism calmly. HR consultancy services say that you should first convey them that you have observed regular absenteeism in their work and you would like to know if the reason for their absenteeism is genuine or not. Just ask them if they need any help or support from you to minimize the pattern.
• Identify the cause: Try to identify the reason of absenteeism of the employee and while doing so be as kind and humane as possible because the employee may share with you some personal information that he/she may not want others to know. Even in cases, where the reasons are not genuine or satisfactory, you have to stay calm and composed and make sure you don’t embarrass the employee, to continue availing his/her services if you don’t want to lose the employee.
• Explain the problem: In cases where the reasons are genuine but cannot be considered to be alright for a long time and regularly, explain to the employee that taking leaves on a regular basis is a problem for both the organization and the employee. From the organization’s perspective, the productivity suffers due to interrupted services and from the employee’s perspective; the professional relationship among the co-workers gets impacted. Make the employee aware of the results of regular absenteeism, which may prompt the employee to reduce taking leaves.
• Give warning: After the discussions with the employee, if you find that the reasons for absenteeism are not genuine, then verbally warn the employee regarding this and tell the corrective measures to be taken. HR consultants suggest that the meeting and the points discussed including the warning given must be documented for future reference and to avoid any disagreements about the meeting. 
• Track the attendance: After the meeting with the employee, keep a check on the attendance records of the employee to find out if the absenteeism pattern is still continuing and take necessary disciplinary action as per the standard company policies.
• Praise the employee: If the employee has corrected his/her attendance pattern and improved performance, appreciate it. Further, praise or reward those employees who come on time and show consistent attendance and work efficiently, to encourage others to follow.

It should be noted that to tackle employee absenteeism there should be proper policies and rules framed in the organization which must be communicated to all the employees. For any kind of support for your organization to handle employee absenteeism, consult Accuprosys, one of the best HR consulting firms in Hyderabad.