Tip #1: Invest proactively in the health of your employees
Invest to save? Absolutely. In fact, the cost of preventive measures will provide a bountiful return on your investment.
A healthy company starts with healthy employees and a comprehensive well-being policy. Provide an ergonomic workplace, offer regular health checks and promote healthy eating and living habits. For example, provide a discount on a subscription to a nearby fitness centre, or organise a steps challenge between teams.
And always keep an eye on your employees' mental well-being too. Create a positive atmosphere where your employees feel valued and motivated. Ensure you involve them in important decisions, their contributions are recognised, they receive constructive feedback, provide structure and provide sufficient challenges and growth opportunities. Such high engagement will reduce negative stress, increase productivity and reduce absenteeism.
You are not alone
Train your managers to conduct absenteeism interviews with their employees. They will then recognise signs of stress and burnout in good time and respond appropriately.
Tip #2: Delve into your absenteeism figures and communicate with staff
An effective approach requires a thorough analysis of your absenteeism figures. Pay particular attention to trends and patterns. Do you see particular departments or periods with noticeably higher absenteeism? Do particular health problems get reported more frequently?
Once you have a clear picture of your absenteeism figures, you should communicate about this openly and transparently with your staff. Share your findings and discuss how such absenteeism affects the organisation. This ensures you raise awareness and stress the importance of collaborative efforts to reduce absenteeism. ‘Pointing fingers’ never helps. Rather, focus on collaborative solutions: brainstorming sessions, workshops, etc. Only then can you find focused and feasible initiatives that align with staff’s needs. It also ensures you reduce absenteeism costs in the long run.
Tip #3: Clarify your absenteeism policy and procedures
A clear and consistent absenteeism policy ensures everyone knows how absenteeism is handled and why. For example, provide and communicate clear guidelines for sickness reporting, what the role of managers entails and the exact details of the collective reintegration policy. Such transparency helps you build a culture of openness where absenteeism is negotiable and employees feel responsible for their own health and that of their colleagues. It helps you collaborate to reduce absenteeism and thus lower absenteeism costs.
Talk is cheap, action speak louder than words
Communicating about your absenteeism policy and numbers goes beyond just a single presentation or company meeting. Provide regular updates on the progress and effect of the measures taken. Show which strategies are successful and where improvements are still needed. You then create a sense of responsibility and the motivation to collaborate on creating a healthier and more productive work environment.
Tip #4: Commit to development
A learning platform, regular workshops, a learning session during lunch… Tailor-made learning sessions help your staff boost their skills and knowledge. And, they can directly apply these new skills to their duties and feel that you – as their employer – value their professional growth.
For example, focus on topics, such as time management and stress management. This helps your staff deal with these better. In turn, such actions help you prevent absenteeism and thus reduce absenteeism figures.
Conclusion: ROI in multiple areas
Reducing absenteeism costs requires action in multiple areas in your organisation. However, there are quite a few practical steps you can already take (or explore) today. For example, you can invest in preventive actions, update your absenteeism procedures, provide interesting (external) courses, etc. Such initiatives are a win-win for everyone. These lead to lower absenteeism costs and also boost motivation and job satisfaction.
