More so than ever today, employee attendance has become a crucial piece to any business’ enduring success—regardless of industry. And although employers have often relied on progressive discipline to help curb employee lates and absences, the fact is this tried-and-true approach has proven to be less effective in recent times. With a plethora of job openings available regardless of collar color and the frequency of employees changing jobs at record pace, the threat of termination has unfortunately become somewhat meaningless. In fact, because of the availability of jobs and ease in obtaining state unemployment, employers often feel as having no choice but to be more tolerant with regards to employee attendance problems that would otherwise result in disciplinary action.
Yet, as employers feel the need to be more tolerant, the fact remains: addressing employee attendance problems is expensive and time-consuming. It is also burdensome and taxing to the remaining workforce. Therefore, it is imperative for employers to proactively manage employee attendance with the intent to reduce attendance problems. It is even more imperative for supervisors and managers to unilaterally address and uphold employee attendance to reduce the costs and alleviate the burdens an employee’s attendance problems can place upon the business as a whole.
Understanding this is often easier said than done, here are six steps to help employers manage and encourage employee attendance at work.
Step 1: Have a policy in place.
Oftentimes, when companies are said to have a bad or toxic culture, it often comes down to a lack of policy or guidelines. In fact, some companies do not have any policies at all, which often leave employees unaware of the expectations levied upon them. Yet, employees will seek company guidance and they will seek it in writing. Not only so that they may read to understand the company’s culture and values, but to hold the company and themselves accountable when company and employee behaviors stray from such culture and values.
The same holds true with an attendance policy. It is the one policy that identifies the procedures for addressing and correcting employee attendance problems with the intent to promote efficiency and productivity of all employees within the company. Referring back to the company’s culture and values, employee attendance is directly related. Therefore, a policy should be in place to correct those behaviors that stray away from such culture and values.
Step 2: Inform employees as to why the policy is in place.
Employees are more likely to embrace policies when they understand the purpose behind the policy. When informing (or reminding) employees about the attendance policy, take the time to explain its need and how it is intended to help with the success of everyone (and not just the business alone). Point out to the employees that the business is a team, with each and every employee identified as a valued member and contributor to the team. Make clear as to why it is important for employees to be on time and the lasting negative impact it has upon the team when they become absent or late.
In reality, employees seldom realize how their absences and tardiness affect the rest of the team. This is especially true if they identify the workplace as nothing more than a business and not a team. Therefore, it is important to explain how attendance problems not only impact on the business, but the team as a whole. Remind employees what it is like when a valuable member of the team is missing. The unnecessary stress placed on their team members due to being short staffed. The inconvenience to their families due to unscheduled overtime. The impact on the team as a whole, due to increased costs and lost revenue that results from employee absences. The benefit plans, bonus programs, employee incentives and morale initiatives that all become negatively impacted as these costs increase and revenue is lost due to employee attendance problems.
Step 3: Have employees acknowledge the policy in place
Although employee signature on the employer’s attendance policy is not required by law, it is a solid practice to ensure the employer has the authority to correct attendance problems with disciplinary measures if necessary. Signed acknowledgements by employees not only demonstrate that they have received the attendance policy, but that they also understand and agree to abide by the information contained in the policy. It is the employer’s confirmation that their employees have received, read, understood, and agreed to the provisions of the policy. It also becomes the one key document that will be sought by the courts to resolve employment related legal disputes and unemployment insurance claims.
Step 4: Uphold the policy in place
For any policy to be effective, its implementation must happen from the top down. Supervisors and managers who abide by their attendance policy are more likely to have their employees abide by the policy as well. Yet consequently, supervisors and managers who are routinely absent or late should expect employees to do the same. Understanding the whole idea of “leadership” is to lead by example, supervisors and managers who hold their employees accountable for the very deeds that they too are guilty of, become ineffective leaders and ineffectual in upholding the policy.
Employees must also be informed of the consequences if they choose to violate the attendance policy. This means the employer should have a structure for disciplinary action in place, with supervisors and managers trained on when and how to administer disciplinary actions. However, consequences are meaningless if not enacted upon. When supervisors and managers fail to administer disciplinary actions, they too become ineffectual in upholding the policy.
Referring back to Steps 1, 2, and 3, upholding the attendance policy is critical to ensuring the company’s culture and values are solidly in place and that the policy is only there to correct those behaviors that may stray away from it. But if the policy is not upheld, nor disciplinary actions administered, the inaction will begin to actually reform the company’s culture and values.
Unfortunately, it is this reform to the company’s culture and values that inevitably erodes the morale and well-being of good employees. While good employees are often obliged to pick up the deficiencies from those that are late or absent, the failure to address the attendance problem eventually weighs upon these employees. Especially when there is no differentiation amongst wages, evaluations, or favor. This often ends with the good employees leaving the organization while unintentionally binding the employer, unable to part with subpar employees due to unforeseen staffing constraints.
Step 5: Be consistent with the policy in place
Employees will often refer to their company’s attendance policy to understand how absenteeism, tardiness, and time off will be managed. It is also the one document employees will seek to ensure they are treated with fairness and justice in all matters related to attendance and time off. Yet, if one employee begins to see inconsistency in fairness and justice, it will create morale problems for all employees.
If we consider the employees who are held accountable versus the employees who are not, or the supervisor who holds their employees accountable versus the supervisor who does not, a form of disparate treatment begins to occur within the workplace. Although the treatment may not be directed to any protected class (i.e., race, religion, color, national origin, and sex), the employees are being treated differently, nonetheless. This treatment in turn begins to impact the workplace morale, reduce productivity, increase employee turnover, and cause reputational damage among the organization and its management.
And although the treatment may have not been directed toward a protective class, if a protective class is involved, then the potential for unintentional discrimination could come to light for which the employer may be held liable in a court of law.
Step 6: Recognize and reward those who follow the policy in place
Recognition and rewards for positive employee attendance can make a difference. While the overall intent is not for employers to pay extra to ensure their employees merely show up on time, employers should let their employees know their appreciation and respect for their positive attendance.
In some cases, employers have tied monetary rewards to their employee attendance policy as a means to reduce unscheduled absences. These policies emphasize rewarding attendance over a certain number of days, either by rewarding employees with a paid bonus or additional paid time off.
There are several great ideas out there with regard to recognizing and rewarding positive employee attendance. However, the point of this step is not necessarily the reward (although it does play a key part), but the recognition. To recognize and reward an employee with a monetary bonus or additional paid time off is good for the individual; however, it gives no value to the team as a whole. Therefore, when employers do choose to implement such a program, they should make the recognition and reward known to all employees. Not just the program, but those who have actually achieved the reward.
For example, if an employee is to be recognized for a quarterly attendance reward, openly display the recognition for all to see. Not only does this display serve as a means to truly recognize and reward the individual, but also to provide alternative direct experience for the remaining employees. By providing this alternative direct experience to the remaining employees, their innate tendencies for recognition and reward will in turn positively influence their behavior towards attendance. The more experiences are made available (i.e., monthly, or quarterly recognitions), the more those innate tendencies take hold in promoting positive attendance.
Final Thought
Unfortunately, employee lates and absences can be a significant issue, especially since it can be expensive and time-consuming for the employer to correct and burdensome and taxing to the remaining workforce as they work to pick up the slack. Yet, if followed, these six steps will help employers put the brakes on absenteeism, making their company a happier and more productive workplace.