Excessive employee absenteeism can have a profound effect on the work environment of your company, your productivity and your bottom line. And absenteeism can occur due to a number of reasons ranging from illness to personal problems. 

It can be difficult to know exactly how to deal with absenteeism in the workplace. Here, we will outline a few steps that you can take today which will help reduce absenteeism and boost productivity in the future.

1. Write an attendance policy.

If your company does not already have a formal attendance policy, it is time to write one. This should also include a definition of tardiness (e.g. 30 minutes late). Work with your management team to develop clear guidelines on what constitutes excessive absenteeism and tardiness and what process your company will take to address it. 

2. Set expectations.

If your company already has issues with excessive absenteeism, you may have to call a meeting (or several meetings if you have a company with multiple departments) to present the new attendance policy. Make reviewing the policy part of your new employee orientation. 

All employees should be aware of who to contact in the company if they are going to be absent and how to contact them. Employees should also be made aware of how many unplanned absences would constitute a performance issue. 

3. Provide employee support.

Despite your best efforts, some unplanned absences may be unavoidable. An employee may become sick or injured and need to take time off or they may simply need time to deal with personal issues. While you may not be able to prevent all unplanned absences, there are steps you can take to shorten the length of such absences and help employees get back to work sooner. 

These steps include:

• Providing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). These kinds of programs are meant to help employees who are going through personal or emotional problems. If an employee is having problems at home, it may affect their attendance at work. Having an EAP for your workplace, may not only help to mitigate these issues, but it can also make your employees feel more valued which in itself can bolster productivity. 
• Provide Medical Support. Sometimes employees do not get back to work as quickly as they could simply because they do not get the medical care they need quickly enough. They may be waiting for a test or to see a specialist. They may be able to work, yet too sick with worry to come into the office. Or they may have an injury that worsens or heals more slowly because, it didn’t get the attention in needed. Ensuring employees have good healthcare insurance is important. And you can even take that support a step further by enrolling in a program that expedites medical treatment such as TekMed’s QuikCare Platinum Program. 
• Implement a Back to Work Program. Sometimes employees do not return to work as quickly as they could after an illness or injury because there is a lack of support to help them when they return. A Back to Work Program can help employees return to the workplace by providing them with special accommodations such as reduced hours, adaptive devices or even something as simple as a ride to work. 

By doing what you can both to prevent and shorten absences, you will not only be helping your employees but also the productivity of your company. And if you would like assistance in implementing any of these steps, contact TeksMed today.