Tips for Managing Work Absences by HRMS in Business

 

Tips for Managing Work Absences by HRMS in Business

For some companies, assuming the issue of absences from work has become an ignored activity, to the point where its responsibility has completely fallen on the immediate supervisors; who are often the only people aware that a certain employee is absent.

Absences in the workplace, if not properly managed, can affect various employees and not just those who are absent. Obviously, there are exceptions that cannot be set aside; however, unexcused absences affect productivity and company processes.

For this reason, it is essential to pay attention to the faults of the collaborators, since they can be a sign of dissatisfaction with the work or disorder. Here are some tips so that you can correctly manage absences from work in your company. 

6 tips for managing work absences in your company

Here are 6 ways you can handle absenteeism in your organization:

1. Make sure you have clear and formal policies

The absence policies of your company must be formally written, easy to understand and also, it is recommended that they be as clear as possible; that is, they are not open to interpretation. These must be within the company manual and be delivered to employees from their first day, at the same time they receive the terms and conditions of employment.

The idea is that your absence policies have brief descriptions and details about the way in which employee absences are dealt with, the control methods, when an employee has the right to be absent from the workplace, when the employee You must inform your supervisor that you will be absent, what are the unexcused absences that may result in suspension or dismissal, who are in charge of handling them, etc. It is important that these policies are available to read at any time. For example, be sent via email or shared in a cloud system. If you have not yet established a manual that contains policies on how to handle absences, you may want to work on it.

2. Start acting from day one

It is never too late to implement an absence policy in your company; however, it is recommended that employee absentee actions be applied from their first day of work or from the first day they miss work. Checking the facts surrounding the absence and taking action on time ensures that the rules are adhered to and that business processes continue.

Similarly, it is important to highlight that in the case of absences related to illnesses or health emergencies, managers must offer and publicize the services available to support employees, such as; insurance policies, health care services, etc.

3. Lean on HRMS software to manage absences from work

Managing employee absences can be more difficult if you do not have strategies or solutions that allow you to manage them automatically, especially if you have a large number of employees in the organization. When you use a technological tool such as human resources management software, all managers and supervisors are able to receive on their computers the information of who is absent and for what reasons (illness, training, unauthorized absences, vacations, etc. )

These types of tools can act as an additional deterrent, since like supervisors or human resources managers, collaborators are also able to look at their attendance record and absence calendar. At the same time that they are aware that the human resources department is capable of detecting unauthorized absences or trends in their record, for example, if the last five Mondays are absent.

4. Flexible work hours

Human resources issues are complex precisely because they are about people and not perfectly configured machinery; and this is one of the reasons why absences often tend to get out of control. Some employees are forced to miss the office for reasons beyond their control, one way to deal with this is by giving them the opportunity to choose much more flexible hours that suit their needs when needed.

For example, if an employee has to arrive a couple of hours later than usual to attend to a personal matter, allow him to stay in the office for two more hours so he can move on with pending work.

5. Involve your supervisors and managers

Although, in some cases, human resources managers are the people in charge of recording staff absences, immediate supervisors are those who are able to understand the circumstances surrounding the absence of a collaborator. Therefore, your active participation in the company's absence processes is essential to manage the situation and ensure the success of the company's policies. It is important that supervisors receive some kind of guidance or training on how to properly manage absenteeism in their department.

Some responsibilities that could be assumed by the supervisor could be:

• Ensure that all employees are aware of the absence policies and the procedures for dealing with them.
• Serve as a point of contact when an employee is suspended due to illness.
• Conduct return-to-work interviews, which can be helpful in determining the reasons for absence and assessing whether they are genuine.
• Apply disciplinary procedures if necessary.

6. Integrate incentive programs with assistance

Incentive programs are effective when applied with organization. If your company has not been able to manage absences with staff, integrating incentive programs with attendance records could be a good option.

For example, if two employees have the same sales history, it would seem logical that they both receive the same incentive bonus; however, how about you take attendance into account? Would it make sense for an employee with a high absence record to receive the same bonus as one with a stellar attendance record?

Controlling the absences of your human talent is important to have greater control of your company and build much more productive work teams. Evaluate your absence policies and if you still don't have one, start working on them, taking into account all the points mentioned above. If you still do not have Human Resources Management Software in your company, consider the idea of ​​purchasing one. Not only will it allow you to have greater control of absences in the office, but it can also help you organize all the issues that concern the human talent of your company.