Absenteeism in the Workplace: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

What is absenteeism?

Absenteeism refers to habitual or frequent absence from work typically excluding pre-approved leave or occasional genuine illness. Some unauthorised absences, for example for illness or personal emergencies, can be unavoidable. However, employees consistently missing work for frequent short-term sick days, no-shows, or persistent lateness can become a problem that organisations might want to address.

Absenteeism vs presenteeism

Absenteeism and presenteeism can both negatively impact an organisation and employee productivity. However, this is done in different ways.

Presenteeism, refers to employees attending work while unwell or unable to perform their role to the best of their ability due to illness, mental health issues, stress or other personal factors.

Both absenteeism and presenteeism can be linked to mental health issues like stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. While they are both different issues, it is helpful to address them together, as presenteeism can lead to prolonged periods of absenteeism if ignored.

Types of absenteeism in the workplace

There are three main types of absenteeism at work: approved absences, unplanned but unavoidable absences, and repeated, chronic absences.

Some types of absences are more problematic than others. By being able to identify which type of absenteeism your employees are displaying, you will be better equipped to effectively manage the situation.

Approved absences

Approved absences include annual leave or paid time off (PTO), parental leave, compassionate leave, and medical appointment leave. These are absences that are planned, prebooked, and approved through HR processes.

Employees taking approved absences don’t typically cause problems, unless excessive patterns emerge. This is because preparations can be done in advance of this time off, such as completing urgent tasks or reallocating work to other team members.

Occasional unplanned absences

Unplanned absences include short-term sickness, emergencies, bereavement, commuting troubles, and unexpected personal issues. This type of absence is usually legitimate and is an unavoidable part of life: employees can’t determine when they will get ill or when they might need to attend to sudden family issues.

Occasional unplanned absences can be disruptive to workflow but cannot be avoided. It is important for your organisation to plan for this type of absence as best it can. It is also important to monitor any patterns, such as frequent unplanned absences on Mondays and Fridays, as this can become a larger issue and indicate that an employee might be taking advantage of unplanned absence allowances.

Chronic absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism is repeated or long-term absence over a sustained period of time. While the other two types of absenteeism are largely manageable, chronic absenteeism is a big problem that can disrupt day-to-day workflows and operations.

Employees with a track record of repeated unexplained issues could be experiencing health problems, mental health issues, or feelings of disengagement from work. As an employer, it is important to intervene as early as possible and provide support to mitigate any negative impacts.

Common causes of employee absenteeism

Before you can put preventative measures in place, it is important to understand the different causes of absenteeism in the workplace. This will help you identify the most appropriate way of supporting employees and reducing absences.

Illness or injury

You cannot avoid or control employees getting sick or being involved in accidents that leave them injured or in need of medical attention. Employees who are sick or injured should be allowed time off to rest and get better. Individuals with long-term sicknesses will also often require extended periods of time off for recovery.

Mental health conditions

Employees experiencing poor mental health may also miss days of work. This can be a result of the physical symptoms of mental health conditions making them feel too unwell to work, or due to stigmatisation and feeling reluctant to seek help.

Workplace bullying or harassment

Individuals facing bullying, harassment, and discrimination at work because of their sex, race, religion, age, or disability can start to exhibit avoidant behaviour. Toxic work environments can contribute to absenteeism by increasing stress and making affected employees feel disengaged and unwilling to show up to work.

Poor employee engagement

Disengaged employees may feel less motivated to turn up to work and carry out their job responsibilities as required. Employees may not be engaged with their work because they feel overlooked, undervalued, or underutilised.

Inflexible work schedules

Employees with an inflexible work schedule may find it more challenging to effectively balance their work life with their personal responsibilities. This can particularly impact parents or carers.

If individuals are unable to work around school pick-up or drop-off times, or appointment times for the people they care for outside of work, they are more likely to take unplanned, unexplained absences to cope.

Leadership issues

Poor management and communication can lead to employees feeling under-supported. Employees who are misaligned with their team leader’s expectations or beliefs may become disengaged, resulting in increased levels of absenteeism.

Familial issues

Personal, family issues, such as divorce, sickness, bereavement, and problems at their children’s school, are not all easy to leave at the office door. They might cause employees to leave work to attend to urgent matters or miss entire days of work.

Employee burnout

Burnt-out employees can experience feelings of chronic stress and exhaustion, ultimately leading to a reduced capacity to carry out their responsibilities effectively. Employees who overwork themselves, whether this is of their own accord or because of other pressures, can suffer from poor mental health and end up withdrawing from work.

Time theft

Absenteeism doesn’t always mean employees taking full days off work. It can also be employees starting work late, leaving work early, and taking extended breaks. This can be less obvious than employees taking entire days off work, but it still has a similar impact; employees are being paid for work that they are not doing. Although time theft applies to smaller periods of time absent or not working, it can start to add up.

Job hunting

Employees who are looking for a new job might take unexplained time off work, or time off work ‘sick’, in order to attend job interviews or complete job applications. If this is a frequent issue within your organisation, it may indicate retention issues and that employees are dissatisfied in their role.

The impact of absenteeism on workplaces

Absenteeism can have many negative effects on workplaces. These can be direct effects, such as the financial cost to the business, and indirect effects, like the impact on workplace culture or quality of work output.

We have outlined the main impacts below:

Decreased productivity

High levels of absenteeism can result in missed deadlines and workflow disruptions, ultimately decreasing productivity levels. It might also increase the workload for other employees.

Demotivated staff

Absenteeism can create a hostile work environment where there is animosity between team members having to cover absences. This can lower team morale and lead to demotivated staff.

Low-quality work output

Frequent absences can lead to understaffing and require other members of the team to take on extra work. Individuals with an increased workload might rush tasks in order to meet deadlines, resulting in lower-quality output and more errors. It can also result in a lack of consistency in projects.

Financial costs

Absenteeism can be costly for businesses. There are direct costs like sickness absences that require organisations to pay sick pay, or indirect costs as a result of decreased productivity, recruitment, and temporary cover.

You can calculate the cost of absenteeism on your business with our free online ROI calculator.

Poor workplace culture

Organisations with high absenteeism may suffer from a poor workplace culture where absence behaviours are normalised, and there is a lack of engagement across teams. It can also result in a breakdown of trust between staff members and management.

7 top tips for managing absenteeism at work

Absenteeism can have a significant impact on the workplace – so how do you go about managing it?We have put together 7 top tips to help you work towards lowering the level of absenteeism in your workplace:

Investigate the root causes of absenteeism

To be able to effectively address absenteeism, you first need to understand the root causes. You can use data collected from exit interviews or return-to-work interviews to recognise any recurring patterns or reasons for absences. This will help you identify priority areas that need addressing in order to improve absenteeism.

Address unscheduled absences as soon as possible

When you notice recurring unscheduled absences, it is important to address them as soon as possible. Early intervention can be key to preventing issues from becoming any bigger. You should document any unplanned absences and clearly communicate with your team member to understand their reasons for absence and your expectations as an employer.

Incentivise good attendance

Employees who don’t feel recognised by their employer are more likely to feel disengaged with work. Implementing clear employee attendance policies and recognition schemes can help incentivise good attendance and reduce levels of absenteeism.

Implement flexible working policies

Allowing staff members to work flexible hours can support a better work-life balance and prevent individuals from having to take unscheduled time off work for childcare, job searching, or attending appointments.

Invest in workplace wellbeing initiatives

Protecting the wellbeing of your staff is important for reducing absenteeism caused by poor mental health. Investing in workplace mental health services like therapy, counselling, mental health training, and wellbeing consultancy aims to improve wellbeing in the workplace and make sure employees feel cared about and well looked after.

Learn more about supporting employees with anxiety and depression at work with our guides.

Train your management team

Line managers should be trained to effectively deal with absenteeism. They should know the appropriate processes and systems for documenting and addressing unauthorised absences and be confident in having sensitive conversations with their team.

It is also important that your management team lead by example and doesn’t take frequent, unauthorised absences themselves, as this can set a precedent that this behaviour is accepted.

Identify and support struggling employees

If you notice members of your team are consistently absent from work, it is important to have a private, non-judgmental conversation with them to discuss reasons why. Checking in on employees who are struggling and offering support creates a comfortable working environment where they are more likely to be forthcoming about issues they are facing, rather than avoiding work to cope.

Creating an absence policy: what should you include?

Workplaces should implement a clear absence policy which outlines the following details:

• How to report absences
• Who to report absences to
• Sick pay and return-to-work policies and procedures
• Expectations for employees while they are away from work
• How employee wages are impacted by absences
• Disciplinary procedures for repeated offences

This will help ensure employees and management are aligned in terms of expectations, procedures, and processes, helping to avoid miscommunication and confusion.

Reduce absenteeism with Onebright’s workplace wellbeing support

Onebright is a leading provider of private mental health services for children, adults, and employers. Our team of experts are experienced in providing wellbeing support for businesses across a range of sectors, with over 200 UK businesses as clients.

We offer CBT, counselling and a range of other mental health services that can improve the happiness and wellbeing of your team, foster a supportive working environment, and reduce rates of absenteeism.

Get in touch today to discuss how we can help support your organisation. Please don’t hesitate to contact us using the contact form below.