Absenteeism From Work: What It Is, Types, Characteristics And How To Prevent It
Work absenteeism consists of non-attendance at the workplace or non-compliance with work obligations, whether or not something is foreseeable and justified.
In this article we will talk about absenteeism from work and we will see what it consists of, what types exist, what consequences it generates and how to try to reduce or control it.
Absenteeism from work consists of the non-attendance of an employee at work , thus failing to comply with its obligations, thus breaching the conditions present in the employment contract. Therefore, it is a phenomenon studied by the Psychology of Work and Organizations.
This abandonment of work represents a problem for the company or organization, since its structure is designed so that all workers attend, their function and production being affected if someone does not do their work, entailing economic losses.
Types of absenteeism
As we have seen, the general characteristic of work absenteeism is the non-attendance of a worker at his or her workplace during the work day. Given this definition we can distinguish between three different types of absenteeism that differ in some characteristics.
1. Foreseeable and justified absenteeism from work
In foreseeable or justified work absenteeism, the employee notifies his superior of his non-attendance for a limited period In this way, it is done legally and the company, being able to foresee the absence, can try to compensate for it, thus generating less disruption. Examples of this type of absenteeism could be: due to illness, due to a work accident, due to maternity or paternity… In these cases the employee continues to receive compensation, the company continues to pay him.
Likewise, justified absenteeism can also occur due to personal issues; in this case the company may not pay the worker during the days of non-attendance or may consider them vacation days.
2. Absenteeism from work that is not foreseeable and without justification
In absenteeism that is not foreseeable and without justification, the employee does not attend his workplace without prior notice and without transmitting a justification to the company. It is therefore necessary for the worker to contact the company and justify his/her non-attendance; Otherwise, a sanction may be imposed. There are three types of sanctions: light, which consists of a warning; serious, it means a suspension of work and salary; and very serious, it means dismissal, this type of sanction is usually carried out when the worker does not justify his absence at any time.
3. In-person or present work absenteeism
As its name indicates, in-person absenteeism, It consists of the employee’s attendance at his or her workplace, but without performing the duties that correspond to him or her , without fulfilling their responsibilities. In this way, we can say that the worker is physically present, but his attention and occupation are focused on other issues that are not work-related. For example, he may be constantly checking his cell phone, visiting Internet pages without any work purpose, in short, carrying out personal tasks that have nothing to do with work.
Consequences of absenteeism from work
Absenteeism from work has negative consequences for both the company, as we have already mentioned, and the employee and even the company’s social security or mutual insurance company.
In reference to the company, it may see its production reduced, therefore affecting its profit or compliance with its clients. Likewise, the impact generated by absenteeism will also depend on how essential the employee is for the correct functioning of the company, as it is to be expected that the more responsibility and the more work in their charge, the greater the impact. The organization may decide to hire a substitute during the period of absence , thus assuming a higher cost, since it is one more salary and registering with Social Security. Regardless of whether absenteeism is justified or not, it can affect the company.
Likewise, if the organization decides not to hire a substitute and requires other workers to perform the tasks of the absent person, it means more work for colleagues, which can lead to conflicts, which worsens the work environment.
The absent employee may also be affected, with negative consequences, since his or her salary may be reduced, even if the absence is justified, for example, due to illness. In the case of absenteeism that is not foreseeable and not justified, as we said, it may lead to the dismissal of the worker. Regardless of the loss or reduction of salary, Your image in the company and with your colleagues may also be affected, even if it is a justified absence , since the organization usually shows negative consequences. Likewise, indirectly, people who depend on the employee’s salary, for example their children, may also be affected.
Finally, we can also talk about consequences for Social Security or Mutual Insurance, as well as an impact on a social level, in general, since the main economic engine is companies and work absenteeism generates alterations in the correct functioning of these.
How to reduce work absenteeism
Given the negative consequences of absenteeism at different levels, both for the company and for the worker and even at a social level, it may be favorable to carry out some behaviors to reduce the risk of absenteeism; in some cases we cannot avoid it, such as This is the case of maternity or paternity leave, but on other occasions trying and acting early can reduce the presence of absenteeism.
Timely action by the company can prevent major problems in the future In this way, ensuring the physical and psychological health of your employees is essential to prevent them from having to be absent in the future. Likewise, changes at the company level to achieve greater employee satisfaction and greater control of their work have also been found useful.
1. Employee health monitoring
Provide work facilities so that employees can maintain good physical health , having the appropriate furniture to perform tasks correctly, having breaks to be able to move, change posture and rest, having time to eat, offering healthy food, if there is restaurant service and allowing eating in appropriate conditions, having time to be able to do it, without having to work or run. Carrying out medical checks to monitor the health of workers also helps prevent and act early on possible illnesses.
In addition, mental health is also essential , is often not taken into account, forgetting that for people to function properly and carry out tasks, their mental health must be adequate. In this way, activities can be carried out with the intention of reducing stress and anxiety, such as yoga, and ensuring, at the company level, that the conditions of the workers are adequate so that they are satisfied and motivated.
2. Control of the operation of the company
It is important that the company has a correct mode of operation to promote the work of its employees and their satisfaction, thus resulting in greater production. We may believe that looking after the employee may have negative consequences for the organization, but we are really preventing the employee from being absent in the future.
This way, The company must try to offer greater labor flexibility, it must give importance to the fulfillment of objectives and not so much to the hours dedicated and allow employees to combine work life with personal life. In the end, work is part of our life, but there are also many other areas that we must take care of, we cannot dedicate all our time to work, since in the end we end up saturated.
Also, the company must try to give the necessary tools, knowledge and training to its employees to carry out their tasks. Ensure a good work environment, with good communication and that workers feel integrated, listened to, that they are taken into account and their opinion is valued.
It is important that the company monitors its employees to avoid in-person absenteeism ; It is recommended to limit Internet access, so that you cannot use some applications or visit some websites. As well as, implement a clocking system to control who comes to work and what work day they do.
