Focus on Workplace Health to Positively Impact Employee Absenteeism

Posted on

January 11th, 2017

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shutterstock_174875483Employee absences disrupt workflow and can have a negative effect on morale. While chronic absences may have an underlying and preventable cause, some absences are unavoidable. To help reduce the number of absences in the workplace due to illness, employers can implement health and wellness programs. Focusing on keeping employees healthy can help reduce their susceptibility to getting sick. However, setting up a wellness program is not enough. Employers need to measure the success of such programs with reliable metrics.

Implementing a Wellness Program

To measure the program’s success, business owners need to track specific metrics. Most health and wellness programs aim to reduce absenteeism and the accompanying costs. To improve attendance based on metrics, business owners can break absences down by:

  • Department
  • Role
  • Cause

This will allow managers to notice trends and make adjustments where necessary. For example. If team leaders fall ill every year during the busiest season, business owners can dig into metrics to see if those employees are overworked and therefore more likely to fall ill. If the cause of the absenteeism is due to cold and flu season, employers can focus on preventative care instead. Having reliable absence reporting data is vital to reducing absenteeism via a health and wellness program.
Health and wellness programs provide additional benefits for employers as well. Companies that invest in their employees’ well-being often see a more loyal and engaged workforce. This affects overall morale and can improve productivity. However, implementing a successful health and wellness program can be overwhelming. To find ways to improve your employee absenteeism challenges, contact the experts at Actec.