Solving Small Business Absenteeism Problems

Absenteeism is a problem that businesses of all sizes have to deal with on a regular basis. However, larger businesses have the luxury of having a large staff to pull from in order to cover their bases. Small businesses, on the other hand, usually only have one person to cover each function within their company. This means that when absenteeism becomes a problem for one or more of their employees that the entire company could come to a screeching halt. This is why it is important to proactively address absenteeism problems.

Step 1 - Acknowledge the Problem

The first step in addressing any business problem is to first acknowledge that the problem exists. Absenteeism problems can be assessed by reviewing employee attendance records. You may notice that one or more employees are missing more than their allotted personal days or that they are missing work on specific days during the month.

Step 2 - Identify the Root Cause of the Problem

After the absenteeism problem has been acknowledged the next step is to figure out why your employee is missing so much work or why they are missing work on specific days. The problem may be a health issue that has recently developed or it may be because of scheduling conflicts between the employee's job at your company and their personal responsibilities at home. On the other hand, the problem may be work related, such as dissatisfaction with their job or with someone that they are working with in their department. Talking with your employee is a good way to determine what the problem is.

Step 3 - Find a Solution to the Problem

To solve the problem of absenteeism you need to find a solution to the problem that is causing it. Some situations will be easier to solve than others. For example, if scheduling conflicts are the problem then you can offer the employee a flexible schedule that they can set so that they can pick up their child from school or attend classes. If the problem is health related then you can offer to adjust the employee's schedule, their workload or find a way to help the employee improve their health, such as by installing a gym in the office or paying for gym membership for your employees.

If the problem is related to a work environment complaint then it will need your full attention. You will need to get a complete statement from the employee about why they are dissatisfied with their job. If there is a claim of a hostile work environment or about workplace harassment you will need to launch an investigation. The solution to the problem will be to either confirm and correct problems within the work environment or disprove the complaint and figure out what the employee is really upset about.

References

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absenteeism