Absenteeism is a problem that a lot of workforces tend to face day in day out. It’s understandable that your team will get ill from time to time, but constant, habitual patterns of absenteeism from their line of work and responsibility can have detrimental effects on both the rest of the team and the business. Finding ways to reduce absenteeism makes way for great benefits both in and out of the office, and to do this means knowing how to take care of your top team when they’re not feeling at their best as well as searching for ways to stop illness occurring in the first place. Absenteeism can easily be avoided if your team feel that they are valued both now and for the future.
Track Absence
If you feel that your business has been bombarded by absenteeism, establishing the exact moment where employees started to take more time off could help you get to the root cause. Being able to effectively track employee absenteeism is one of the steps to reducing the company costs that follow and understanding how you can help bring your team back up to good health and finding job satisfaction. Using something such as an absence management system to track team absenteeism will help to ensure that employees aren’t abusing their days allowed for illness or allotted holidays repeatedly.
Change Behaviour
Finding new ways to change your team’s behaviour so they’re not missing work but loving Monday mornings may seem like a difficult task, but absenteeism can easily be reduced through some of the smallest behavioural changes. Creating a happy and healthy work environment with the right support will make your team feel more valued and less likely to take time off for things such as small colds and headaches that lead to unnecessary absenteeism rates.
Handing your team with the tools to lower their chances of becoming ill and providing them with fast solutions to recover will make them less susceptible to absenteeism. In this way, wellness programmes and health insurance are great tools to help reduce absenteeism. Providing your team with a healthy support network for everything from dental care to mental health will give them the support and information that will help them find convenient health solutions sooner, meaning less absenteeism and quicker recovery times. Wellness programmes will also help your team to understand how to deal with things such as workplace stress and anxiety so that they lean less on taking time off when they’re not feeling themselves.
Your team shouldn’t be scared to ask for time off; important health appointments should be prioritised so that your top team can be treated sooner. The longer they leave important appointments, the more likely you are to see absenteeism further down the line. By having the right employee benefits and health insurance policy and making sure your team feel comfortable and confident to ask for suitable time off as and when needed, your team can benefit from easy, quick access to treatment. If your team can get back on their feet sooner, they can return to performing productively in the workplace.
Return to Work
For a lot of people, absenteeism isn’t intended. Returning to work after serious illness or injury can be quite a task for some. As an employer, supporting and nurturing a member of staff’s return to work, rather than focusing on their absenteeism, should be a high priority. Modifying the workplace and providing flexible opportunities will make your team feel more valued and prepared to come back to work. Absenteeism can be reduced if your staff know that they can come back on fewer hours, telecommute or have the work facilities available to support their recovery needs. Many employers aren’t making the effort to accommodate their workforce after a health-related absence. Making sure that you aren’t rushing your recovering team members back to work as soon as possible is key to keeping morale high and absenteeism low. Providing support and letting them take their time will make your team members feel more comfortable to come back to work sooner. Many of the employee wellness programmes offer rehabilitation services to support the employee back to work and make changes where necessary.
Everyone gets ill, but providing your team with the right tools to tackle illness and recovery will mean morale will remain high whilst keeping absenteeism at a low. At Protectus Healthcare, we can help you find the right employee wellness programme or company health insurance policy that will do just that. Get in touch to find out how having the right policy will make sure your team feel valued and ready to return to work at the earliest opportunity. https://www.protectushealthcare.com/
    
  
