Reducing Absenteeism with Electronic Reporting

Posted on

September 27th, 2016

shutterstock_306793247 - Copy One of the most prevalent issues that plagues employers is employee absenteeism. While most of the absences are legitimate, up to one-third of them are not related to illness. To help reduce instances of employees taking fraudulent sick days, employers can implement electronic absence reporting. Electronic absence reporting helps reduce unnecessary absenteeism in a few ways:

Employees who know their employers are tracking how often they call out tend to rethink taking a gratuitous day off.
By collecting absentee data, employers can gather averages for how many days employees take leave. Employees who know this information can compare their time off to the status quo. Some employees may not realize they are taking more leave than is normal without this data.
The data can help employers target problem areas. If one department has a much higher absentee rate than the others there could be a leadership issue. The data can help employers address the issues and prevent similar problems from happening in the future. Ensuring employees are happy goes a long way to reducing absenteeism.

Employers who implement electronic absence reporting systems should be mindful when using the data. The end goal should be to support and improve employees’ workplace experiences. If employees view the data collection as a means to mete out punishment, it could have the opposite intended effect.
Employers should make it clear that any electronic reporting system is meant to enrich employees’ health and wellness while at work. To learn more about optimizing your absence reporting procedures, contact us.

Employee Absenteeism: Causes and Solutions

Posted on

September 13th, 2016

Andrew

employee-absenteeism No employee can avoid the occasional illness or the unexpected passing of a family member. However, when an employee is absent on a regular basis, there are usually other factors at play. While many employers know that illness is not the only cause of employee absenteeism, not enough of them are taking steps to resolve the source of the issue. Below are some of the most common causes of absenteeism and how to start resolving them.

Childcare

When a child is sick or their childcare arrangements fall through, one of their parents will have to call out of work to address the problem. Issues of health and childcare take time to resolve, and that time is most often during the work day. To combat this issue, some companies instituted on-site daycares and programs designed to help employees find short and long-term child care.

Flexibility

Many employees desire to maintain a work-life balance but feel burnt out by the end of the week. One solution to this problem is to offer flextime within reason. Some companies allow employees to work longer work days at the beginning of the week so they can work fewer hours at the end of the week. The idea is that employees are better rested at the start of the week, but start to feel the wear and tear of work by the end of the week. By offering flexible work hours, companies can reduce employee burnout and the related absenteeism.

Illness

Sometimes, employees get sick. However, the workplace may be contributing to the cause and duration of their illness. Employees who are overworked in poorly designed workplaces experience a higher degree of stress and muscular-skeletal illnesses. Employers can address part of the issue by providing an ergonomic working environment. Employees who are stressed out about returning to long work hours after a prolonged illness may take additional sick days as well. One solution is to offer a slow reintegration. By working a reduced schedule and building back up to normal hours, employees will feel less overwhelmed.
While the above are common causes of routine absenteeism, there are many more attendance difficulties a company can face. To learn more about the causes of employee absenteeism and how to resolve them, contact us.

What A Rubber Stamp Absence Policy Costs Your Business

Posted on

June 28th, 2016

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 Many companies struggle with aligning absence management, employee efficiency, and legal compliance. This often leads to a “rubber stamp” mentality when dealing with FMLA and state leave issues. What employers frequently fail to understand is that such policies this policy is a direct result of absence abuse and loss of company productivity.
FMLA Litigation Costs
Litigation in FMLA cases costs an average of $78,000. This leads businesses to believe that they need to avoid a potential lawsuit at all costs. Rubber stamping FMLA leave requests seems like a less expensive solution to the problem.
Unique Leave Requirements
Another factor in creating a rubber stamp policy is the fact that approximately 95% of employees work in a state that has unique leave requirements. This makes managing and tracking leave entitlements difficult, especially if the company has offices in more than one state. When management becomes too complicated, granting an employee’s leave request seems like the easiest solution.
An Alternative to Rubber Stamp Policies
The money that a rubber stamp policy costs in productivity loss and employee efficiency can cost some organizations far more than the possible litigation of an FMLA case.
The first step in creating an effective absence management strategy is an absence audit to determine if revisions are necessary. One of the first signs of a potential rubber stamp issue is an existence of absence abuse. If HR doesn’t investigate an employee’s state or FMLA absence request, this can encourage an increase in false claims.
If the audit shows that your company needs to revise its current legal compliance policy, then you need to design a system that can manage and track all leave entitlements. This will help to reduce false claims and help to show your company is in compliance with all requirements.
A comprehensive absence tracking and management system can help you replace your rubber stamp policy with a strategy that will manage unique leave requirements and employee productivity. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more.

Employees Who Eat Healthy Are More Productive and Less Frequently Absent

Posted on

May 17th, 2016

Andrew

If you want your employees to be more productive and reduce absences, you need to encourage them to eat healthy. Studies show that people who maintain a healthy diet are more creative, remember more and can think better than unhealthy employees.
Healthy Diet and Job Performance
Studies show that employees on a healthy diet:

Are 27% less absent
11% better at work than unhealthy employees
20% more likely to be productive
25% improved job performance

Brains and Calorie Consumption
A person’s brain uses 20% of the calories they consume in a day. For optimum performance, the brain needs a continuous stream of healthy fats and glucose. When people eat things such as:

Vegetables
Proteins
Fruits
Whole grains
Healthy fats

They keep their brains going and stay fuller longer.
What Employees Should Eat
What are some good foods that your employees should eat to make them more productive? shutterstock_340821413 - Copy

Eggs
Yogurt
Blueberries
Avocados
Almonds
Salmon
Brown rice
Cashews
Walnuts
Dark chocolate

Educating your employees about a healthy diet will reduce absenteeism, make your employees more productive and make your company a better place to work.
To learn more absence management strategies, contact the experts at Actec.

Make 2016 the Year You Get Absenteeism under Control

Posted on

November 30th, 2015

Andrew

December is the time when organizations create a plan for success in the New Year. As your company determines its business New Year’s Resolutions, you will want to put absence management high on the list. Absenteeism increases costs and decreases efficiency. Instituting an absence management solution now will help you increase productivity in 2016.
Absence Management
Efficient absence management includes:

Having one number for employees to call to report an absence
Understanding the number of absences by employee
Ensuring compliance of all state and federal laws
Having a consistence leave policy for all employees
Aligning absence management with production needs

When a company is able to create and maintain an effective absence management policy, your organization will be able to:

Reduce the number of absences
Reduce the amount of time spent on absence reporting
Determine seasonal staffing needs
Increase productivity
Increase retention

One way to improve absence management is to create an absence-reporting program that ensures management and human resources have up to date information. The experts at Actec can help you find a solution that will make 2016 the year you get absenteeism under control. Contact us today.

Reduce Employee Absenteeism by Increasing Understanding

Posted on

November 10th, 2015

Andrew

absence management video image border Do your employees understand your company attendance policy? You might be surprised to find out many employees don’t know much about company policies beyond how much PTO time they have accrued. Helping your staff understand your company’s absentee management policies will reduce employee confusion and absenteeism.
What’s An Unexcused Absence?
Does your company differentiate between excused and unexcused absences? Most organizations do and try to discourage unexcused absences because of their effect on production. However, many employees don’t understand the difference, especially if they use PTO time to cover both.
Make sure workers understand that if they don’t obtain advanced approval from a manager regarding time off it is considered an unexcused absence. And if your organization terminates employees for accruing too many unexcused absences, make sure they understand this policy as well. If they think they are okay as long as they have PTO time then an employee may not comprehend why they are receiving warnings from HR.
Partial Absence Policies
Another common area of confusion between employees and management is concerning partial absences. Employees often figure as long as they show up for their shift they are in the clear. They may not realize the impact that coming in late or leaving early has on a company.
As with unexcused absences, most companies have policies regarding partial absences. Managers need to make sure that employees understand leaving at noon for a doctor’s appointment and not returning for the rest of the day is a partial absence and may result in disciplinary action if it happens too often.
Many HR and employment issues stem from an unclear absentee management policy. Companies should make sure all employees have a thorough understanding of attendance policies when they are hired. Management should also periodically review attendance policies with their teams to make sure there are no misconceptions. For more information on how you can get absence management under control, click here.

The Importance of the Return-to-Work Interview

Posted on

October 1st, 2015

Andrew

If you’re a supervisor who faces employee absenteeism as a recurring problem, one highly effective approach to consider is the “return-to-work” interview, a meeting to be conducted as soon as possible upon an employee’s return to work. Consider this to be a “counseling interview,” the first in a formal sequence of meetings you’ll want to schedule if the employee’s absenteeism continues to be a problem.

In this first meeting, your goals are to welcome the employee back to work, establish the cause of the employee’s absence, demonstrate your commitment to controlling absenteeism, explain how the employee’s absence has affected the department, and determine steps to improve the employee’s attendance going forward.

If at this stage any medical condition is found that’s likely to affect the employee’s ability to do his or her job, arrange an appointment with a company-approved doctor.

At all times, you’ll want to demonstrate that your enforcement of absenteeism policies is facilitative rather than punitive. Stress also that your goal is to treat all employees equally.

If the employee’s absenteeism persists without adequate justification, you should proceed as necessary through a series of additional meetings, perhaps also involving human resources and a union representative. Sequentially, these meetings will take you through the verbal warning stage, the written warning stage, and temporary suspension from work. If the employee ultimately is found to be unable to comply with the firm’s policies on absenteeism, the final stage is termination of employment.

Distinguishing legitimate absences due to illness from unwarranted absences is a challenging task for any supervisor. However, through consistent use of the return-to-work interview, you’ll find you gain valuable insights and leverage in addressing the problem.