Absence
Absence refers to an employee's non-attendance at work; that is, a failure to perform work within a specified period, without a justified reason or the employer's consent. Absence can take various forms, such as being away from work for several days due to illness, unjustified lateness, unnotified absence from work, excessive breaks during the workday, etc.
Employee absence – what is it?
Employee absence is a problem for employers because it can affect productivity, work quality, and company costs. It also leads to staff shortages, which can result in overburdening other employees and disrupting work schedules.
To reduce absence at work, employers use various methods, such as incentive schemes, attendance awards, time-tracking systems, and discussions with employees to understand the reasons for their absence and find future solutions.
Absence is also often monitored by employers who record employee working hours and document absences. In the case of unjustified absence, the employer may take various actions, such as a warning, financial penalties, or, in extreme cases, termination of the employment contract.
Employee absences – what are the types of absence?
Absence is a period of non-attendance at work, which may be justified or unjustified. There are different types of absence, depending on the cause and circumstances in which they occur.
Unjustified absences can be caused, for example, by missed buses, unplanned outings, or simple neglect of duties.
On the other hand, justified absences are caused by illness, annual leave, holidays, training, relocation, sudden unforeseen events, the need to care for a family member, etc.
The most common types of absence from work are:
- Sick leave – caused by illness or injury that prevents a person from attending work or school. This type of employee absence should be documented with a medical certificate. The employee then receives a medical exemption.
- Unpaid leave – caused by the desire to take time off without pay, e.g., to deal with personal matters.
- Planned absence – usually related to holidays or other planned occasions for which a person wants to take time off.
- Emergency absence – caused by sudden circumstances, such as sudden illness, death in the family, or a home emergency.
- Authorised absence – caused by the employer or school, who exempts a person from the obligation to attend work or school due to important circumstances, such as a doctor's appointment or an important visit.
- Unauthorised absence – caused by a person's absence without justification or reason, e.g., being late for work or school.
Sick leave – types
Among absences from work due to illness, we distinguish:
- Natural absence – caused by a workplace accident or resulting from a real illness and deterioration of an employee's health, leading to temporary incapacity for work.
- Opportunistic absence (also known as grey absence). This is the prolongation of absence despite there being no contraindications to work. In other words, even though the employee could work, they extend their sick leave.
- Occupational absence – this is absence from the workplace for an extended period. Such a long sick leave can be caused by reluctance to work, lack of motivation, or a poorly structured remuneration system where, for example, a part of the employee's salary is based on a bonus. When they know they won't achieve it, it's more "profitable" for them not to come to work.
Employee absence rates
To know whether the frequency of absences among employees due to illness or other reasons is normal, it is worth monitoring the level of absence.
This can be done using:
How can an employer reduce absence?
Every employee absence, whether planned or not, exposes the company to additional costs resulting from the need to pay an employee who is not performing work or to replace them with another person. Both employers and HR departments are looking for ways to help reduce the level of absence – referring to both the number of absence days and their frequency.
Effective measures to counteract absence include:
- Incentive scheme – creating an incentive scheme that rewards employees for their attendance. This could be, for example, a bonus or an additional day off. However, care must be taken to ensure that an employee with an infectious illness does not come to work. The effect could be an increase in illness among the workforce.
- Work climate – ensuring friendly working conditions that promote employee well-being and motivation to work.
- Organisational culture – creating a positive organisational culture that fosters a sense of belonging to the company and engagement in work.
- Time tracking system – implementing time tracking systems, such as timesheets or electronic systems, that allow for continuous monitoring of employee attendance.
- Incentive systems – encouraging employees to take annual and sick leave through various types of incentive systems.
- Communication – regular communication with employees to understand their needs and problems that may affect their attendance at work.
- Health and safety – taking care of employee health and safety, for example, by organising health and safety training.
- Remote work – where possible, enabling employees to work remotely, which can reduce absences related, for example, to the need to care for a family member or commuting problems.
- Early warning system – introducing an early warning system that allows for quick identification of employees who are starting to have attendance problems and implementing preventive actions.
Effective absence management helps reduce employee days of absence and lowers organisational costs.