Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2012. Since May 2019 Spanish employers have been legally required to keep a daily record of working hours (Royal Decree-law 8/2019), which changes the context of its section on controlling lateness.
For some companies it’s one of the worst scourges and biggest problems with their staff. Others have managed to offset absenteeism with other incentives that limit the “collateral” damage it does to their output.
It has been a problem in companies since the beginning of time. The most obvious forms, which we’ve all heard of, are going out shopping during breaks, reading the newspaper during working hours and making personal phone calls.
It’s Human Resources’ job to keep a close watch on absenteeism, because its consequences can include lower productivity for the business, organizational problems, high costs and machines running below capacity.
Ways to tackle it? Many and varied.
Definition and types of absenteeism
Absenteeism covers the times an employee leaves their post, for whatever reason, during working hours.
We could define three types of absenteeism, although each company will look at these categories in its own way:
- Justified absences: those with a legal justification, such as temporary sick leave, trade union activity and so on.
- Unjustified absences: lateness, smoking breaks, errands, looking after children or relatives.
- Presence-based absenteeism: what students call “being in limbo”. The body is at the workplace, but the mind is busy with things that have nothing to do with the day’s work.
Techniques for controlling absenteeism
Each type of absenteeism calls for its own approach and procedure, without infringing the rights of either side, and using tools or materials that can keep this drain on staff productivity in check without great cost or disruption.
Depending on the type, absenteeism is easier or harder to control. For the first type there are the mutuas (the insurers that manage sick leave and workplace accidents in Spain) and the medical certificates that justify the absence. It’s also the easiest category to fix: study the causes of the absences, and good occupational risk prevention can reduce them.
Lateness can be controlled through clocking-in records, the car park, or the times at which the employee switches on the equipment they use.
Employees can be warned about misusing new technologies in the selection interview, in their contract and through the company’s own internal communication channels.
Motivation: the watchword against absenteeism
A motivated employee who is excited about their job is an employee who gives their time, body and soul to the company and will put all their effort into making the business more productive.
To get there, look for measures that lead to greater motivation, such as flexible hours, remote work or private health insurance.
See also: Is there anything worse than absenteeism? Yes: presenteeism
Featured image: Steve Snodgrass, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
