Attendance Management Policy from HR perspective

 Attendance Management Policy.

Figure 1: Staff Absenteeism (Vantage Circle, 2022)

A business is determined by several factors, one of them is the workforce. A great workforce can be the spell between success and failure. A happier and healthier workforce does not always guarantee success to the company as there are ample of employee related issues that chisel away the success.

Employee absenteeism a common occurrence at workspace. Absenteeism is when an employee fails to return for work as per routine regardless of the reason. This usually can be of both planned and unplanned (Cascio & Boudreau, 2015). Absenteeism is always underrated with its costs and impact to profitability of the organizations. According to the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report absenteeism in the U.S cost employers $225.8 billion annually in productivity losses, which is other terms $1.685 per employee (Erik van , 2022)

Another research done by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working conditions the cost of absenteeism was estimated could reach up to 2.5% of Europe’s GDP. Which would sum up to a total $470 billion within the EU alone which is doubled than that of US  (Erik van , 2022)

Main reasons for Absenteeism

Figure 2 Reasons for Absenteeism (Wellsteps, 2022).

How to overcome Absenteeism

Employee absenteeism becomes a challenge to address once it becomes an accepted behaviour by the employees. After all forcing an employee to show up to work on time is almost impossible but instead certain policies can be implemented to minimize the employee absenteeism.


The Solution to Absenteeism problems in Your Workplace (Lloyd, D., 2014)

Employee Attendance Policy

Irrespective of the size of the business, an official attendance policy in place can make changes in employee absenteeism. The attendance policy must be transparent on what is expected from an employee and what possible consequences would be in case of non-adherence. Policy must be fair for both the Employer and the Employee. Different attendance issues like, scheduled absences, unscheduled absences and tardiness must be factors to consider then disciplinary action for each must be decided. It is crucial that the policy should be simplified, rule out subjectivity and also must define what each type of absence means in clear language. Both existing employees and new recruit must be aware of the policy. Have the signed consent of the employees about the policy and the shared responsibilities (Grace , 2022).

Possible Consequences for non-compliance to the Attendance Policy.

Figure 3 Consequences of non- compliance to the attendance policy (VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, 2015)

Policy Evaluation

Attendance policy introduced must be evaluated with a given period of six months to one year. Evaluations must include, improvement on the subjected area, recommendations and employee feedback. (Tanda, 2012-2022).

Rewards for Good Attendance

Like mostly, an Attendance policy should not only focus on consequences but also proactively approach on encouraging good attendance. A perfect or near attendance shows the commitment of the employee towards the company. These employees can be an inspiration to the entire workforce and elevate the company standards which could have been impacted due to poor attendance. Employees with good attendance should rewarded and those can be cash bonus, merit salary increment and free day off. (Carlos, 2019).

References 

Carlos, 2019. ACCU-Times Systems. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.accu-time.com/timecom/top-incentives-good-employee-attendance
[Accessed 26 Mar 2022].

Erik van , V., 2022. AIHR. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/absenteeism/
[Accessed 26 Mar 2022].

Grace , M., 2022. When I work. [Online]
Available at: https://wheniwork.com/blog/how-to-write-an-employee-attendance-policy
[Accessed 26 Mar 2022].

Tanda, 2012-2022. Tanda. [Online]
Available at: https://www.tanda.co/blog/rewarding-employee-attendance/
[Accessed 26 Mar 2022].

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, 2015. VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY. [Online]
Available at: https://hr.vanderbilt.edu/policies/attendance-punctuality.php
[Accessed 26 Mar 2022].

Vantage Circle, 2022. Vantage Circle. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-absenteeism-hr-guide/
[Accessed 23 Mar 2022].

Wellsteps, 2022. Wellsteps. [Online]
Available at: https://www.wellsteps.com/blog/2020/01/02/school-wellness-programs/
[Accessed 27 Mar 2022].

Lloyd, D., 2014. The Solution to Absenteeism problems in Your Workplace. [Online]
Available at: https://youtu.be/uTiffu4ZKDw
[Accessed 1 May 2022].

 


Comments

  1. Anushka Rodrigo27 March 2022 at 11:55

    Whatever agreement had with employee and organization, it is difficult to adhere people to rules and regulations in force. There should be mechanism to motivate employees to adhere to process. If they are getting incentive for their good behavior with salary, gradually they will align to rules and regulations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amjad Aboobakar4 April 2022 at 03:53

      The reward is discussed. totally agree with you

      Delete
  2. Kawshi M. Perera ♥️28 March 2022 at 07:30

    There are 5 reasons you have mentioned above post as main reasons for absenteeism.We can't control all situations but I think HR team can reduce stress caused absenteeism because as a department they have a responsibility to feel free of minds of persons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amjad Aboobakar4 April 2022 at 03:52

      As you mentioned, absenteeism cannot be eradicated, but can be minimized. Thus we have suggested the above. Attendance policy must be simple and clear to the staffs so that they can follow the policy.

      Delete
  3. Uditha Arawpola28 March 2022 at 22:57

    In this article, you have mentioned the main factors and how to overcome them, thus I believe An attendance policy, for the most part, should not just focus on repercussions but also take a proactive approach to promote excellent attendance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amjad Aboobakar4 April 2022 at 03:48

      Yes, employees should be briefed on what is expected from them when it comes to attendance, in case of failures what possible outcomes should also be advised. Finally as mentioned the employees must be rewarded for good attendance. But many firms does not focus on good attendance.

      Delete
  4. Shibly7 May 2022 at 02:48

    As far as I concerned attendance should not be an issue, to overcome absenteeism is to get employees engaged. That's the best way out rather than setting up rules.

    ReplyDelete
  5. fahimmba7 May 2022 at 03:35

    In an organisation HR should have best leave management system to monitor staff members. If proper system available, unnecessary absenteeism also will under control.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Arjuna Medagama MBA #247 May 2022 at 05:29

    Sabotaging also one of the reason for absenteeism. In plantation sector earlier had a separate incentive scheme call "attendance incentive". When we had that we saw big improvement on attendance. once government discontinue it we experience that workers reluctant to come for work. You explained these points nicely.

    ReplyDelete
  7. FuardMBA247 May 2022 at 10:05

    Another important function of HRM is Attendance management. This is the best way to calculate employee attendance and salary. This records helps a lot for those who work hour payments. Good Article

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gayan Marasinghe7 May 2022 at 11:59

     A good attention management policy must clearly inform how absences should be handled and make that process apparent to employees. All the best!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Darshana Undugodage7 May 2022 at 22:49

    Attendant really showcase the employee’s commitment toward the organization. Attendance policy is a good tool to motivate people and get their best to the organization. Good article.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pasan Nanayakkara8 May 2022 at 06:06

    In addition to having consequences for poor attendance, positive reinforcement methods such as awarding incentives or a bonus allowance for attendance can aid the organization in raising the attendance level of an organization. As mentioned, perfect attendance in unavoidable, but HR department can influence the outcome by way of positive and negative reinforcement methods. A very insightful article. Well done.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Need for Exit Policy.

Image
  Exit Policy. Figure 1 Exit Policy   (empxtrack, 2019) A business will always have on and off boarding during the entire cycle. Each entity will have their unique recruitment policy, and thus is the importance of an exit policy where HR should focus to retain the best talents. Employees leaving the organization can be both voluntary (from the employee’s side) and involuntary (By the employer). The idea behind an employee exit policy is to set up a process when an employee leaves. It is the formality of the employee to submit a written resignation letter to their head, the resignation letter should be inclusive of the notice period. The employee should be obliged to carry business as usual, support the team and the replacements if any with the utmost corporation during the tenure of the notice period. Furthermore the employee should also train the new recruits if and when required within the notice period. Failure to implement a good exit policy is failure to shie...
Read more

Work Place Harassment

Image
Harassment. Figure 1 Harassment   (The Lane Report, 2018) Harassment is experienced worldwide, outcomes are severe. Any unacceptable behaviour that is of an offensive nature which daunt, usually violates dignity of a person and creates an unfriendly and demean circumstances is known as harassment. The Event can be one time or repetitive however the severity and the impact on the victim categorizes harassment. Workplace harassment can vary from discrimination, abusive power, verbal and physical violence, sexual harassment etc. Impact on the Business. Employee wellbeing is the business wellbeing, failure to protect the safety and ensure peaceful workplace can negatively impact the business. Namely it can be, shattered employee morale, declined productivity, absenteeism, turnover, damage to the good will of the employer. Additionally the organization can be liable for the actions of an employee provided that no action taken to prevent harassment. This can be applicable even i...
Read more

Employee Benefits from an organizational perspective.

Image
  Employee Benefits  Figure 1 Employee Benefits (Neelie Verlinden, 2022) Talent war is never ending in the business world, thus staff retention is crucial and for the same reason companies should focus on an attractive remuneration package to ensure happy workforce which will minimize to send their resumes to competition. According to Cockman, “employee benefits are those benefits which are supplied by an employer to or for the benefits of an employee, and which are not in the form of wages, salaries and time rated payments.” These benefits were established in the mid of the 20 th century with the rise of unions as a measure to reduce the effect of unionism. Why it is important to have employee benefits in an organization. Figure 2 Importance of Employee Benefits (Vantage Circle, 2022) Here we will be looking at the most common employee benefits among the organizations Pension & Social Security  : A scheme which was initiated for future benefits of...
Read more