Chronic absenteeism can be very destructive to a work team. We all know that some absenteeism is inevitable, but habitual, persistent absenteeism can wreak havoc in the workplace and seriously undermine employee morale.
Here are 7 strategies that may help supervisors and managers address the problem of overly-frequent absences.
1. Conduct “back-to-work” interviews
Set up an interview with the returning employee to ascertain the reason behind the absence and determine whether they are being genuine. This strategy also helps the company stay engaged with the employee. When strong policies and procedures are adhered to, it can help reduce absence and tardiness.
2. Flexible scheduling
Flexible scheduling can reduce absenteeism if handled correctly. Sometimes employees are in situations that force them to be absent even if they want to be at work. Allow employees to have a say in custom-designed schedules that work better for them as long as the work is covered adequately.
3. Document, document, document
Good documentation is essential for tracking absenteeism patterns. Make sure rules are applied to all employees equally.
4. Tie incentive programs to attendance
Reward employees with good attendance with recognition and meaningful incentives. Make sure employees know that those conscientious enough to arrive at work on time and help their team will be rewarded.
5. Allow for shift swaps
Things come up. Allowing staff to trade or swap shifts gives some the flexibility they need to be successful with their attendance goals.
6. Train line managers
If line managers are knowledgeable about absenteeism causes and remedies, they are more likely to be understanding when there is a genuine need for a staff member to be absent from work, but will be able to identify serious problems as well as help facilitate a more successful attendance record among their staff.
7. Help employees balance their work / life responsibilities
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and other workplace programs can go a long way toward preventing and solving the work/life issues of the worker. Recognize that different employees have different needs; often a certain degree of flexibility can help them make it through extenuating circumstances.
Paying attention to absenteeism patterns, extending flexible work solutions and helping employees manage their work/life responsibilities can go a long way toward addressing chronic absenteeism. Reward and incentive programs have also been shown to be effective.
Author: Andrew
Absence Management Fundamentals
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is Now a Cost-Cutting Tool
An electronic filing system allows you to transmit data electronically to other parties while minimizing mistakes and saving time. FROI, SROI and medical bills can be carefully reviewed before submission to avoid delays. Additionally, these are some other benefits of e-Filing:
Improved Customer Service: Timely, resourceful and cost-effective services that help streamline communication with customers.
Quick turnaround time: Mailing, handling and other paper documentation are eliminated as well as processed and reclaimed faster.
Minimizes cost: Compared to manual processing, EDI allows for cost reductions that give staff resources that can be redistributed to other areas.
Other probable savings: Costs associated with procurement, printing, postage, storage, replacement, stocktaking and distributing printed forms are minimized (and sometimes eliminated) with the use of electronic state filing.
Different states have various requirements for EDI filing, so always consult with a professional.
At Actec, we’re committed to helping you with your EDI filing requirements. To find out more about our services, contact us today.
Understanding the Underlying Causes of Absenteeism
Employee absenteeism is a major cost for many employers. Absenteeism is more than someone taking a day off here or there for illness, family emergencies or other normal, valid and reasonable causes. Absenteeism is when an employee has excessive or habitual workdays missed every month. Absenteeism can have a major effect on company finances and morale.
Causes of Absenteeism
- Illness
Injuries, illness and medical appointments are the most common reasons provided for missed work. An employee may call in “sick” for other reasons as well. Predictably, there is a dramatic spike in missed days due to illness during the cold and flu season.
- Injury
Injuries can be sustained on the job or outside of work. In addition to acute injuries, chronic injuries such as neck and back pain are a common cause of absenteeism.
- Child care and elder care
Most employees have a regular child care arrangement set up, but when that falls through or a child/elder is sick, parents are forced to miss work.
- Bullying and harassment
Employees that are bullied or feel harassed by an employer are more likely to call in sick as an avoidance tactic.
- Burnout, stress and low morale
When an employee is overworked or the workplace is stressful, they will call in sick more frequently. This also applies to personal stress. Feeling unappreciated is also a factor.
- Depression
The leading cause of absenteeism is depression (National Institute of Mental Health.) Self-medicating with drugs and alcohol can be a result of chronic depression.
- Disengagement
Disengagement occurs when employees are not committed to their jobs and lack the motivation to go to work.
- Job search
Employees that are looking for other employment will call in sick to work on their resume, visit a recruiter or attend a job interview.
- Incomplete shifts
Employees that are habitually late, take long breaks and leave the job early are considered to have a problem with absenteeism.
Occasional absences from work are inevitable; afterall, it’s human to get sick or injured or have to take care of family members. Everyone has personal business to attend to during normal business hours at times. Nevertheless, absenteeism can take a major toll on a company. Understanding the underlying causes of absenteeism is the first step to finding ways to reduce and respond to the problem.
Absence Management Best Practices
Do you know how much your business is affected by employee absence? Do you know what percentage of your employee absences are controllable? Without a firm grasp of your employee absenteeism, it’s impossible for your business to make measurable, sustainable improvements in your workplace. Here are just a few reasons why employee absences must be tracked:
- Unexpected absences can reduce the performance of the absent employee
- Both planned and unplanned absences can increase workload and strain on team dynamics
- Untracked absences can lead to employees unintentionally taking more vacation or sick time than they are allotted, or (intentionally or not) taking said time off without it counting against their total time available
- Absence patterns, though potentially coincidental, can cause a workplace to seem lackluster, chaotic, or disorganized to clients, prospects, and employees
To learn more about assessing and improving your employee absence management practices, contact Actec Systems.
Absence Management a Top Concern for Employers
Workplace absences, both short-term “casual” absences as well as long-term absences
due to family leave, disability and illness, affect employers of all sizes. While these types of absences are difficult for any employer, smaller businesses (employing less than 500 people) may experience the effects of absenteeism more adversely than large businesses.
Each year, employers spent 4.1 percent of payroll costs on unscheduled absences. Among large employers, as much as $850,000 is spent each year in payroll costs. (Disability Management Employer Coalition, 2014.)
Are workplace absences affecting your bottomline? What absenteeism management solutions have you considered implementing? Have you considered improving your absenteeism time tracking? What about improving your workforce scheduling procedures? Or perhaps you have considered implementing labor analytics software that will help with strategic planning and day-to-day decision-making.
In order to be truly effective, absence management systems need to be able to address multiple layers of the issues employers face. Truly managing absence and reducing absence-related costs requires a comprehensive approach. Look for solutions that:
- Help managers quickly fill vacancies using advanced technology
- Allow employees to swap shifts, which can dramatically reduce unnecessary absences
- Track accruals in real-time so managers can approve requests based on accurate forecasting
- Help HR determine leave eligibility based on the most current leave laws and company policies
- Manage intermittent leaves without resorting to manual workarounds
- Streamline communications related to absenteeism
- Provide a well-documented audit trail
Actec Day 1 Absence Management Services can help employers simplify the leave process. We will help you customize your absence-related communications, administration and recordkeeping. Contact us today for more information. Click here or call us at 1-800-862-2832.
Speech Analytics a Valuable Technology for Insurance First Notice of Loss Centers
Speech analytics is one of the fastest growing technologies in contact centers. Speech
analytics is the process of analyzing recorded calls in order to review and improve customer interactions with company representatives. The general focus of the analysis includes:
- topics being discussed
- emotional character of the speech
- analysis of speech patterns, and
- the amount, frequency and location of non-speech patterns which generally represent hold times)
Valuable Tool
Speech analytics is used to gather critical business intelligence that would otherwise be
difficult to obtain. Phone interactions between representatives and customers are analyzed and categorized. Useful information is gleaned in a process called audio mining. Companies are finding this technology is useful for understanding more about the customer experience and what customers really think about their company. This gives them the opportunity to evaluate and make adjustments to their customer service policies and procedures. Speech analytics are a valuable tool for determining the training and coaching needs of customer service representatives.
Precision and Recall Measures
While speech analytics have come a long way since they were first introduced into the business world, it still can be difficult to make meaningful comparisons between the accuracy of varying speech analytics programs. What matters most to the evaluator (and the person being evaluated) is the accuracy of the program to point out real issues. Typically, precision and recall measures are used to quantify the responses of the analytics search system. Precision measures the proportion of search results that are relevant to the topic being analyzed. Recall measures the proportion of the total times a relevant search was returned. For example, if a researcher is looking for a specific phrase, precision would be the proportion of times the phrase was found within the context of the overall audio file, and recall would be measured by how many times the phrase is found within the file.
The information gathered through speech analytics technology makes it easier for supervisors, analysts and others in the company to spot changes in customer behavior and make refinements to the customer service delivery process that, in the end, increases customer satisfaction.
Why Your Employees Are Missing Work
If your employees are missing work, and you can’t figure out why, these are a few things
to consider. Did you know the average number of work days missed by a full-time employee diagnosed with clinical depression is twice as much as someone without it? Consistent absences are also connected to things like poor eating habits, poor health, financial strains, relationship complications and other emotional stresses. If you find that wellness issues are the main reason your employees are missing work, what programs do you have in place to address them?
Try thinking of fun ways to get your employees to exercise or quit smoking. Many organizations hold their own “Biggest Loser” competitions to motivate their workforce to get into shape. You might also offer an Employee Assistance Program for those who are struggling with issues that require a professional counselor.
For information on how we can help you reduce unnecessary missed work days in your office, click here.
For information on how we can help you reduce unnecessary missed work days in your office, click here.
After-Hours Reporting
An accident can happen at any hour of the day. Knowing the help you need is available outside of normal business hours is essential for your personal sense of security.
Most insurance agencies have a hotline that operates 24/7 with professionals waiting to come to your aide — day or night. Some even offer online reporting for an added convenience. After-hours reporting is a service that’s sometimes outsourced to a third party to free up time for company employees. In addition, there are several benefits to accommodating customers after 5 p.m.:
- An accident can be reported at any time. There’s no waiting until the next day.
- It creates trust between the victim and the insurance agency.
- Benefits are delivered in a timely manner.
Accessible claim reporting is something most customers just expect of their insurance companies. Make sure your company’s system is flexible and designed based on the needs of your clients. For more information on how Actec can help you with an after-hours service, click here.
How to Handle Claims Effectively
Many insurance companies do not have an effective claims management system,
oftentimes leading to a loss of accounts. There are four key elements that need to be included in an effective and efficient claims handling policy. These elements should be included in a productive claims management evaluation process.
Element #1: Written Agreement with Carrier and Intermediary (Broker)
It is vitally important that you maintain an excellent working relationship with your insurance carrier and broker (or third administrator – TPA.) The basis of this relationship includes a written agreement on roles, responsibilities, key performance indicators (KPIs) and communication protocol.
Element #2: Written Internal Protocols
A well-defined, written internal process for claim reporting, tracking and oversight of the claims management methods that employees are expected to follow is essential.
Element #3: Specific Metrics
Metrics and data tracking are powerful tools when assessing the effectiveness of claims management. Specific metrics need to be developed and tracking protocols implemented. Examples of helpful metrics include:
- What is the basis for reserves?
- What trends are affecting claims?
- What challenges are claims managers facing and why do these challenges exist?
- Are the certain claimants that present problems? What issues are claim managers having with these claimants?
Element #4: Support from Upper-Level Management
In order for claims management systems to be effective throughout the company, all levels of management within the company need to be involved and committed to the process. A system for regularly measuring the frequency, type and severity of claims needs to be implemented; periodic claims need to be reviewed, referenced and follow-up systems noted.
If implemented systematically, these four key elements of effective claim management will significantly reduce your TCor by reducing both claim frequency and severity and reducing handling time.