Is workplace absenteeism costing your business?

For CEOs and others high-level individuals overseeing workplace productivity on a daily basis, there are a number of issues that can crop up.

One matter that many overseeing businesses must deal with is oftentimes one of the most frustrating.

Along with impacting office morale, absenteeism in the workplace ends up costing companies countless dollars over time as work piles up and co-workers have to pick up the slack, oftentimes resulting in overtime hours.

Get on schedule

In an effort to reign in the problem of absenteeism at work, those heading up companies can do a number of things, among which include:

1. Lay the ground rules – It seems like a no brainier that companies want their employees to show up for work and on time at that. That said some employees will work the schedule they want and not that of their bosses. Face it; most people have been there before where their first few weeks on the job are nothing short of careful preparation and actions. They will oftentimes show up a little early for work and/or stay late if needed. After a period of time, that preparation and detail to attentiveness will dissolve. Let employees know during the interview process and if they are hired that showing up for work on time and not taking short corners is the norm;
2. Scheduling matters – Some companies will offer employees the flexibility of setting their own daily schedule. They may instead of the “normal” 8 to 5 offer workers the chance at working 6 to 3, 7 to 4 etc. For employees that have that option, take advantage of it. For those who do not, don’t whine about it and/or decide to skip work when you’re not really ill or do not have a family emergency to deal with. CEOs and managers can set the scheduling rules in play by putting in a work schedule generator, allowing employee schedules to easily fall into place. With such software in place, management can effectively put workers in schedules that are most conducive to them doing a good job. You can set up a schedule that permits you to add workers, locales and positions. This process can even allow you to import your employee list through an excel spreadsheet or CSV file. Yes, there will be times when a doctor appointment comes up; there is a family emergency with a child etc. Build a good relationship with each employee from day one in order to build mutual trust between all parties;
3. Review procedures – Lastly, it is a good idea to review your company’s procedures from time to time as it relates to scheduling, time off from work, conduct in the workplace etc. As too many CEOs and others leading businesses know, daily work responsibilities oftentimes lead to lax rules, with the primary goal just being to get the work done. In the process, what rules were in place can be overlooked. If you are letting employees come and go as they want, take as many breaks as they desire and socialize to no end in the workplace, you’re not doing them any good, while certainly not helping your company.

Overseeing a company’s ups and downs goes with the territory.

While you can’t control every minute of the work day, you can schedule you and your employees to be on top of things in the event something goes wrong.

Dave Thomas writes for a variety of websites on topics such as human resources and running a small business.