Absenteeism affects many companies at some point in their development. Working conditions play a role that is often overlooked in the process that leads an employee to take time off work. Work under heavy time constraints, staggered schedules, inadequate organization of work, a lack of recognition or shortcomings in the dialogue between management and employees can be triggers of absence. It is necessary to be able to analyze these factors which are often specific to the company.
To act on absenteeism, it is necessary to identify the characteristics, to define it, to specify what means the company can mobilize to reduce it. Through a coherent set of specific and simple measures, employers will be able to restore the situation.
Steps for a successful action plan
The development of actions to prevent absenteeism requires the development of an action plan.
This is a coherent set of measures to be taken and actions to be taken, it is an approach that involves the actors of the organization.
1 – Identify and bring together actors to undertake a participatory approach,
2 – Set up a working group or a steering committee,
3 – Propose a program for the working group :
- Measure absenteeism using relevant indicators,
- Analyze the causes, produce and validate encrypted data,
- Propose actions to remedy the main causes,
- Sort stocks according to their time perspective, short-term actions, medium or long-term actions, articulate them into a coherent action plan over time,
- Inform and raise awareness : define a communication plan on the results of the working group and the priority actions to be launched.
4 – Put in motion the entire managerial chain: raise awareness, train, set goals …,
5 – Convene the working group at regular intervals to take stock of progress made,
6 – Communicate on the basis of the results obtained, to make employees benefit from the savings and objectives achieved due to the decrease in absenteeism,
7 – Opt for a benevolent management :
- Show employees that they are important in the organization, trust them, listen attentively and empathize …,
- Put in place a return interview after a longer or shorter absence is an opportunity to interact with employees to identify certain issues related to the workstation, relations with colleagues or the hierarchy,
- The framework offered to employees must be welcoming, they must adapt to their lifestyle, facilitate their work-life balance.
While reducing absenteeism is a concern within the organization, different means are available to managers and employees to correct and prevent it.
This involves simple measures : recall of the rules, development of certain managerial tools reinforcing the dialogue between the staff and the management, balanced return interview, work with the actors of the company (occupational doctor). In some cases, absenteeism proves to be long-lasting and it becomes necessary to prevent it by appropriate actions.
It is also useful to examine the factors that condition the presence of employees in the company : organization of work, involvement and commitment, existence of rewarding career paths, reconciliation between family and professional life, etc. In all cases, the effectiveness of the actions is better served by adequate mobilization procedures. Inform the staff, build a better social dialogue, analyze situations, share the diagnosis, etc. are prerequisites for reducing absenteeism.
