Your employees are going to miss work once in a while – life happens. But, if you see these absences rising, you might want to take measures to ensure that your employees have everything they need to come to work.
You can create a healthy workplace that doesn’t suffer from extensive employee absences. These three reasons are some of the most common causes for missing work..
1. Illness
Especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, illness is one of the top reasons behind employee absences. In fact, nearly eight million workers missed a day of work due to illness in the first month of 2022 alone.
Of course, this is something you can only do so much about. But you can take measures to decrease illness in the workplace.
You should encourage employees who do get sick to stay home. Otherwise, others could catch whatever they have, and you might end up with even more absences.
2. Child Care
Child care in this country can be expensive – and even if you can afford it, finding placement can be difficult. Even when you have daycare, for example, sometimes they won’t allow your child to attend if they’re sick or for other reasons.
That’s why child care is such a common cause of employee absence – sometimes they just don’t have anywhere to put their kid! This burden tends to fall on women more than men.
Elder care can also be a cause of employee absence. If they don’t have a nurse or another caregiver available to watch out for their aging loved one, they might just have to stay home.
If you’re a bigger employer, you may be able to provide childcare directly to your employees. Or, you can offer more money for childcare as a benefit.
3. Stress
While a certain amount of stress is expected in the workplace, it can cause problems if not managed. Too much stress can lead to burnout, which can make it much more difficult to come to work and get their job done effectively.
Always encourage your employees to take breaks. Give them adequate vacation time, especially after periods of high stress. Take measures to keep morale high.
Happy employees are ones that won’t miss work – or worse, quit because they’re unsatisfied.
Try to cultivate a workplace environment that values self-care. This is particularly important if you own a business that requires a lot of customer interaction, like a fast food restaurant.
Busy, demanding customers with a lot of complaints can take a lot out of even the most seasoned of employees. Letting them know it’s okay to take a second to breathe is important.
Preventing Employees from Missing Work: Start Today
There are a lot of ways you can help your employees stop missing work. You just need to decide which ones work for you!
Are you looking for more help streamlining your business? Contact Modisoft today to get started.
