Ask Bart: “Quick wins & long-term goals associated with an absenteeism policy”

A clear absenteeism policy that includes procedures for reporting illness and reintegration can give you great results relatively quickly. Important condition: you have to monitor your policy carefully from the very beginning and communicate about it regularly.

Decreased absence frequency

Intensive absenteeism communication makes an impact faster than you think. Absenteeism meetings between managers and employees, updates on your absenteeism figures and initiatives, analysis via absenteeism software, etc. For some employees, it may be enough to adjust their behaviour and make them less likely to report sick.

Get back to work quickly

Any absenteeism policy must include a structured process on how employees can return to their duties after a prolonged absence (reintegration). This immediately creates clarity: which contact person provides support during the absence, what is expected of the employee, a step-by-step guide of which task package phases will be taken on, etc. This transparency can help improve the way you bring long-term absentees back to work.

Quick wins is something to be very grateful for, but in the longer term you can safely aim for an even higher return on investment with your absenteeism policy. Continue to monitor your absenteeism figures closely – especially absenteeism percentage, frequency, and zero absenteeism. This will allow you to record trends and formulate associated focus points to improve your grades over time. Remember you can connect a goal such as “lower absenteeism rate” with other long-term goals, such as lower absenteeism costs and happy employees

Lower absenteeism costs

In the long term, an effective absenteeism policy can help you reduce direct absenteeism costs such as continued payment of wages in the event of illness and the costs of (temporarily) replacing absent employees. For example, set a goal to reduce these costs by a certain amount or percentage within a few years. Prevention, timely intervention and a clear reintegration policy can help reduce the costs of your absenteeism policy and even help you make money (back).

Happy (and loyal) employees

A good absenteeism policy goes hand in hand with a comprehensive welfare policy and a positive corporate culture based on well-being. This leads to more satisfied employees who will be more inclined to commit themselves to you as an employer because you show them their health is genuinely important to you. That feeling of appreciation can lead to a decrease in staff turnover, and makes you a more attractive employer for new staff.

You can improve maximum engagement and follow-up by listening carefully to employees (for example, through regular surveys and feedback interviews). Ergonomic adjustments tailored to employees’ (changing) needs, for example, can have a positive, lasting effect on their health – and your risk of absenteeism.

Better communication

By having open conversations about absenteism and training your managers will help build an open communication culture of mutual trust. This teaches employees that it is completely okay to talk about (the causes of) absenteeism. You can also detect and address problems early on – and perhaps avoid a long absence.

By making targeted investments in absenteeism prevention, communication and employee support, you can reap significant benefits in the short and long term. With a healthy working environment – a result of your absenteeism policy and the comprehensive welfare policy it plays a part of – your employees will be more motivated and will remain loyal to you for longer.