The work environment of a company greatly affects the motivation of workers and results. However, there are other external influences that can significantly influence team productivity. The company is responsible for controlling these factors, and being prepared to react to unforeseen events.
Even a single day of absence can cause significant stress for coworkers, management, and, of course, the absent employee. However, according to the latest statistics, more than a million people do not go to their post every day in Spain.
Unusual absences are always a complex situation to manage. Sometimes, employees may have more than legitimate reasons for not coming to work, or in some cases they may have somewhat unfounded reasons. The fault may also lie with the company and the working conditions or the lack of incentives. Likewise, we must remember the lack of conciliation that exists in our society.
But… How do you know what the reason is and how to respond? In this article we expose the most frequent causes of work absenteeism
Of course, all employees are regularly absent from work, this includes: vacations, maternity or paternity leave, illness or personal reasons. Absenteeism from work does not refer to these absences, but to those that are not marked on the calendar, whether justified or not.
Absenteeism is defined as the absence, with or without specific reason or prior notice, of an employee. Work absenteeism occurs when the worker does not go to work or leaves without having completed the schedule , and failure to perform duties can also be considered absenteeism. Therefore, it can be understood as the absence of a worker from his or her job during working hours or failure to fulfill his or her duties.
The following types of work absenteeism are recognized, depending on whether the absence is justified or not:
1. Excused absence
In case of justified absence, The employee must notify that he or she cannot go to work or perform his or her job duties during your work hours, in cases where you are teleworking or your employment is remote. A concrete example of an event that could take place during work hours would be a move. According to the Workers’ Statute within the Spanish context, “the salaried worker has the right to a paid day off for moving.” In this case, 14 days’ notice is recommended.
This type of work absenteeism is also known as presenteeism. In this case, The employee does go to his or her workplace, but does not perform the duties assigned to him or her He or she simply does other things or wastes time on unproductive tasks.
Therefore, presenteeism can be understood as showing up for work but not performing the required tasks. This situation can be due to many different reasons and it is a mistake to think that it is the product of laziness or a conscious attitude. Thus, common reasons for in-person absenteeism can be considered: lack of motivation, stress, work overload and lack of organization or effective communication.
3. Emotional absenteeism
We talk about emotional absenteeism when the employee goes to work, is capable of carrying out his or her tasks, but is not involved. Due to a non-physical cause, usually a lack of motivation, the employee does not perform well and obtains poor results
This type of absenteeism is the most difficult to detect, since the person is physically present at their job, but emotionally they are somewhere else. Normally, emotional absenteeism occurs when the worker does not identify with the company culture or for some external reason does not have sufficient motivation.
4. Unexcused absenteeism
We talk about unjustified absenteeism from work when the worker does not go to his workplace or does not perform the functions assigned to him within his working hours. without there being a justification or reason to explain such absence
Absenteeism is a frequent cause of problems in companies for several reasons. First, taking more vacation time than other employees can cause conflict within the team: it can lower morale and frustrate coworkers. It also causes direct economic losses to the company due to lower productivity.
The most frequent causes of work absenteeism
If an employee misses his or her job without prior notice, his or her duties must be assumed by the rest of his or her colleagues. This first affects the work environment and work dynamics, and ultimately decreases the company’s productivity and has a negative impact on direct economic results.
However, It is wrong to believe that absenteeism is always the employee’s fault and attributable to laziness. There are different reasons motivated by the company that frequently underlie work absences.
1. Justified causes of absenteeism from work by the worker
The main reasons for absenteeism from work are related to professional dissatisfaction. This It happens in places where employees do not feel identified with the company culture or are not adequately incentivized
Thus, there are also justified causes of absenteeism, such as illness; However, they also need to be managed properly by the company so as not to cause more problems than necessary.
Excused causes of absenteeism include illness, family reasons or force majeure.
1.1. Medical reasons
There are many reasons that refer to medical reasons why workers may be absent from work, including minor illnesses such as colds or asthma Others may be more serious and chronic conditions such as cancer or diabetes. Also, the time to recover from surgery is included as a medical reason.
Reasons also include discomfort and physical injuries, which can occur inside and outside the workplace. Suffering from back pain is one of the most common causes of work absenteeism.
1.2. Mental health and work absenteeism
Excessive stress or fatigue They can cause a lack of motivation or difficulty in performing required tasks. The underlying causes of these health conditions may be work-related, due to overload or poor working conditions. Or, alternatively, they can be personal.
1.3. Family reasons and emergencies
Family reasons for being away from work, such as maternity or paternity leave , require advance planning. Unplanned absences due to unexpected events, such as the death of a family member, are more difficult to manage.
However, the presence of good communication between coworkers can help you not suffer as much from unforeseen absences. For example, having frequent meetings where everyone shares their roles and responsibilities is a good strategy.
1.3. Reasons of force majeure
The reasons for force majeure are varied and do not only include natural incidents such as strong storms, but also a breakdown in public transport; traffic accidents are considered causes of force majeure.
2. Causes of work absenteeism motivated by the company
Increasingly, companies As part of their business strategy, they prioritize developing and establishing incentives to attract and retain talent They address criteria such as satisfaction, growth and recognition in the workplace. This change in focus puts the company first responsible for the performance of its employees, this also includes work absenteeism.
Employees who don’t know their company culture don’t know how to grow and develop. This causes them to not reach their full potential and not feel motivated, which can cause absenteeism at work. Furthermore, the lack of knowledge of the company culture, the poor working conditions, the lack of growth monitoring and the general poor organization… They can also cause a person to be absent from their job more frequently.
Mobbing is a major problem, not just in schools. Bullied or harassed employees may feel too uncomfortable to come to work. Just as bullied children may not attend school, this is one of the reasons for absenteeism from work. Harassment is a sign that something more serious is going on and the company needs to address the root of the problem.
By encouraging employees to report harassment and establishing an open-door policy, hidden problems in the work environment can be identified. Additionally, it is advisable to participate in the work environment instead of locking yourself in an office. This way, you can identify any potential problems that other co-workers may be experiencing.
2.1. Lack of compromise
Compromise is necessary to achieve a win-win outcome. Employees who do not feel engaged in their work often present reasons for not showing up for work The disconnection can be caused by several different problems; including disrespect from management, unfair treatment, lack of feedback, or perceived lack of flexibility and freedom.
Tools that recognize and empower employees can solve many engagement problems that arise from putting the wrong people in the wrong jobs.
2.2. Lack of sources of motivation
Good employee morale and motivation is essential in any workplace. Any company where conflict prevails is not a place where people want to work. Give employees the freedom to make decisions, and show them respect and appreciation It is crucial to maintaining a healthy work environment.
By discussing ideas on how to improve team motivation with employees, new work standards can be discovered. This can lead to implementing new ideas, such as casual days at work or even paid training.
23. Little capacity to promote conciliation
Unfortunately, as a society we are far from facilitating conciliation. Employees caring for children or the elderly may have difficulty getting to work They may also experience difficulty communicating with Human Resources when they need to take time to care for their loved ones.
It is essential to help these workers by establishing flexible work schedules, or making it easier to work from home. Another effective measure is the implementation of a system that makes it easy to communicate schedules to Human Resources and all other people involved.
2.4. Lack of flexibility
If employees lack flexibility, they may rebel against their schedules by taking longer breaks than allowed or arriving late on purpose. According to some research, the implementation of flexible schedules can drastically reduce work absenteeism numbers.
Conclusion
Human capital is one of the main competitive advantages that a company can count on; However, it requires constant care. As we have seen, focusing on people, their motivations and needs leads to reducing work absenteeism.
Absenteeism costs companies time and money. Identifying the reasons why workers are absent from their jobs can help create a healthier work environment and happier employees.
