
Here are some potential effects of poor attendance:
- Other employees have to pick up the slack, which can decrease employee morale.
- Morale can also drop and teamwork can suffer if employees with good attendance start resenting those who are frequently absent.
- You might have to pay for a substitute employee, or other employees might have to work overtime, which increases their pay rate and costs you more money.
Why do employees with poor attendance affect the workplace?
The employee is expected to develop professionally as the organization grows. When that employee has poor attendance, his performance gets affected and he is no longer able to add value to the company in helping to fulfill the firm’s growth objectives.
How does poor attendance affect the workplace?
When employees are present and arrive to work on time, it helps keep everything operating smoothly. Here are some potential effects of poor attendance: Other employees have to pick up the slack, which can decrease employee morale. Morale can also drop and teamwork can suffer if employees with good attendance start resenting those who are frequently absent.
How to reward employees for good attendance?
Ways to Reward Employees With Perfect Attendance
- Cash Bonus. This is a type of attendance bonus program and recognition that almost everyone will like. ...
- Commemorative Plaques/Certificates. ...
- Increase in Salary. ...
- Extended Lunch Breaks. ...
- Free Paid Day Off. ...
- Outings and Special Events. ...
- Promoting Them to a Senior Role. ...
How to write an employee poor attendance warning letter?
- Start your letter by writing the employer’s (sender’s) name and complete address. ...
- After that, you can write the subject for direct knowing the purpose of a letter for which it is written.
- After one line gives salutation and starts the main body of your letter. ...
- In the end, make sure to warn them to take this letter seriously and as a warning. ...

What is the impact of poor attendance?
Poor attendance can affect children's ability to make and keep friendships; a vital part of growing up. Setting good attendance patterns from an early age, from nursery through primary school will also help your child later on in their life.
What are the effects of missing work?
Other indirect costs and effects of absenteeism include: Poor quality of goods/services resulting from overtime fatigue or understaffing. Reduced productivity. Excess manager time (dealing with discipline and finding suitable employee replacements)
What is considered poor work attendance?
Organizations can gain additional insight into their absenteeism issues by separating data according to short- and long-term absences. Clearly, an employee who is absent five times for periods of three days presents different problems from an employee who is absent 15 times for one day.
Why is employee attendance important?
Managers Must Commit to Managing Employee Attendance Attendance is critical in many customer-facing jobs. Poor attendance saps the morale of employees, costs employers overtime expenses, and reduces employee engagement. Poor attendance takes supervisory time and attention and often results in disciplinary action.
How does absenteeism affect a company?
Supervisors spend hours per week dealing with absences and preparing for/adjusting workflows to keep things moving. One of the biggest negative impacts of absenteeism in the workplace is the added workload that colleagues must take on for employees who are absent.
What are the causes of poor attendance?
Causes of AbsenteeismToo many distractions. In today's world where everything is at our fingertips, people tend to get distracted easily and lose interest in studies. ... Sickness. ... Bullies. ... Mental Health. ... Coaching. ... Encourage Everyone. ... Extra-curricular Activities. ... Positive Environment.More items...•
Can you dismiss someone for poor attendance?
Employees generally need two years' service to bring a claim for unfair dismissal. Providing there is no discrimination involved, you are free to dismiss an employee for poor attendance if they have less than one year and 51 weeks' service. It's good practice to follow a fair procedure before dismissing an employee.
What is the impact of poor work/life balance?
Poor work-life balance can cause stress Job stress, isolating working conditions, few rewards for effort, job insecurity and a lack of control in the job can increase the risk of mental health challenges. Stress is a natural human response to challenging or dangerous situations.
What are the solutions of poor attendance?
If absenteeism has been an issue for your company, here are some solutions to consider. Emphasize the attendance policy. First thing's first: give all of your employees a reminder of the company's attendance policy. Don't single anyone out; instead, call a brief meeting for the sole purpose of discussing the policy.
How does attendance and punctuality affect job performance?
Companies can develop better reputations. Being punctual and showing up to work allows you to get more work done and communicate consistently with clients, improving your relationships with customers and developing a reputation for quality, dependable work.
Is attendance a performance issue?
In short, with performance infractions (including attendance and tardiness problems), you're expected to take employees through "steps" of progressive discipline, typically labeled "verbal," "written," and "final written" warnings.
How can you improve poor attendance at work?
Tips to Improve Employee AttendanceSet Clear Expectations. Make your employees aware of attendance expectations, including call off procedures and how to request leave. ... Look For Hidden Causes. Poor attendance can be a result of a larger problem. ... Train Supervisors. ... Reward Good Attendance. ... Offer Flexibility.
How can unplanned leave or absence of workers affect the team?
If left unmanaged, unplanned absences can lead to higher levels of stress in the workplace, with other employees taking on extra workload and working longer hours. This can create a vicious cycle of poor health outcomes and indeed lead to more absenteeism.
What is a good reason to miss work?
Personal Illness Personal illness, especially contagious types, are almost always a valid excuse to take off time off from work. Employers don't want to find themselves with an epidemic of illness spreading through the workplace because this seriously affects operations and productivity.
What is the best reason for absent in work?
Doctor or dentist appointment. Family emergency (you don't need to share details) Family illness (child, elderly parent, other family member) Furnace needs emergency repairs.
What's the best excuse to miss work?
Best Excuses to Miss Work (Last Minute/Short Notice)You're sick. ... You're caring for a sick child or family member. ... You have a family emergency. ... You have food poisoning. ... You have a migraine. ... You need to care for a sick pet. ... You have a last-minute dentist or doctor's appointment. ... You're having car trouble.More items...
What happens when you are absent from work?
In companies with tight staffing, when one person is consistently absent, others on the team still have to do the work. This can cause resentment toward the absent employee on behalf of those who step in for her. People get frustrated and angry when they have to do their own job and someone else's too. This leads to low morale in the office when management does nothing about the errant employee. When a person makes an agreement with an employer to do a job, continuous absenteeism is a violation of that agreement.
Why is absenteeism bad for the company?
When you are consistently absent, your income is also impacted. Excessive absenteeism frustrates employers and co-workers alike. It can negatively influence productivity, impact employee morale and, in small companies, it can have a negative affect on the company's bottom line.
How does morale affect productivity?
When morale drops in the office, so does productivity. Unhappy workers are typically less productive than others, which can affect the productivity of the whole office. Unhappy employees might try to hide their low productivity by staying longer in the office, which places co-workers in danger of catching the negative attitude with continued exposure. These people often realize their state of mind, but may not have the means to resolve their feelings. Unhappy people are not motivated to do more than what is asked of them and often fail at meeting simple work standards. Co-workers might adopt their bad habits.
What happens when unhappy employees are left to stew in their own juices?
When unhappy employees are left to stew in their own juices, personality clashes can happen in the workplace. Co-workers are usually aware there is a problem with another worker and might begin to complain about the person to management. Co-workers that don't have the same point of view as the unhappy employee might have trouble getting along with that person. Soon, most everyone will try to find a way to avoid working with the unhappy person or even being near her just to avoid the conflict.
How to deal with an unhappy employee?
By allowing the unhappy worker to give voice to her feelings in the correct outlet, it might help to resolve the situation. As a co-worker of an unhappy employee, do your best to stay positive and offer a compassionate ear.
What happens if a company doesn't manage absenteeism?
When a company doesn't manage excessive absenteeism, other employees might get tired of doing double duty for the missing employee. Good employees might look for work elsewhere, which can result in a high turnover rate. When management doesn't deal with excessive absenteeism effectively, they are sending a message that they don't care about the issue or their valued employees. Good management practices begin with developing attendance policies and end with properly managing excessive absenteeism when it arises.
Why does quality suffer when there is less work?
With less people to do the job, something is going to suffer in the process, because not as much work is accomplished when someone is missing. If employees try to catch up by working faster, quality suffers.
How to help someone with poor attendance?
Open up a discussion. Give them a chance to explain and offer solutions. Their poor attendance record may be the result of a bigger issue. Ask: “Is there something going on that’s causing you to be late or miss so much work? Is there something we can do to help?”
How to deal with absenteeism in HR?
(Just remember that, in the spirit of treating all staff equally, you’ll want to develop a specific policy and apply it across the board.) However, if a health condition or family medical emergency is the root cause of absenteeism, it’s wise to consult an HR professional right away. This situation needs to be handled delicately to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Family Medical Leave Act. In this situation, there may be multiple ways to address the problem, including a staff member taking a leave of absence.
How to deal with tardiness and absenteeism?
Know when to take it up a notch. If the absenteeism or tardiness persists, it’s time for formal counseling. Depending on your company’s structure, counseling could come in the form of meetings with the employee’s immediate manager or an HR representative. Lay out your expectations for attendance, and the serious, specific consequences for unexcused absences from work.
What is an employee handbook?
An employee handbook is a great way to spell out your policy on excessive absenteeism, as well as the reporting process employees should follow if they’re late or absent. State the consequences of excessive absenteeism — including the potential for termination.
What happens if you don't do your part?
When employees aren’t doing their part, the entire team may fall behind on meeting deadlines. In some cases, that could mean losing a valuable contract, and earning your company a reputation for not delivering a product or service on time.
Can absenteeism affect business?
Yet absenteeism, without a compelling reason for it, may adversely impact your business. So, let’s take a closer look at poor employee attendance.
Is poor attendance a problem?
Poor employee attendance can be a serious issue – one for which many business leaders feel unprepared to address. Yet with the above steps in mind, you’ll help put the brakes on absenteeism, and potentially make your company a happier and more productive workplace.
Why is attendance important?
Attendance is extremely important in the workplace. When employees are present and arrive to work on time, the consistency in attendance can boost employee morale, improve productivity and save on the costs associated with paid time off for absent employees. Ensure your workplace has an attendance policy in place that is fair for all staff ...
What is an attendance policy?
An attendance policy is a policy put in place to outline specific rules, actions and outcomes for handling workplace absences. Businesses implement attendance policies to outline stipulations for sick leave, vacation time, personal time and unexcused tardiness and absences. The purpose of an attendance policy is to communicate to employees the procedures they must follow to request time off and the standards for keeping track of attendance at work.
How many tardies are required for disciplinary action?
Three tardies will require disciplinary action. No-show: No-show absences include absences with late notifications up to 30 minutes after the start of a shift. Employees are subject to a first warning and then follow-up disciplinary action after two unscheduled absences.
How to ensure everyone is aware of the procedures and standards outlined in the attendance policy?
Ensure everyone is aware of the procedures and standards outlined in the attendance policy, and provide employees with copies of the policy. Have employees sign off on their agreement with the policy, and include it in your employee handbook.
Why do companies have unlimited vacations?
Unlimited vacation policies allow employees to take as much time off of work as they’d like, as long as business operations aren’t disrupted and they’re able to consistently perform their jobs. While this type of policy isn’t for every business, it can potentially improve employee morale, work-life balance, productivity and engagement.
What is a discipline in a verbal warning?
For instance, if an employee who is never late and never misses work is suddenly absent with no apparent cause, the disciplinary action might be a verbal warning rather than a physical write-up. Essentially, the procedures for disciplinary action need to reflect the nature of the absence.
What is an absence in a job?
Absences: Employee absences encompass any missed work shifts, whether scheduled or unscheduled.
Who needs to lay out the company's expectations for attendance and the seriousness of excessive absences?
During these sessions, the HR professional, business leader, (or whoever is representing the company) need to lay out the company’s expectations for attendance and the seriousness of excessive absences.
How does absenteeism affect productivity?
In addition to low morale, high absenteeism rates affect productivity and cause teams to miss their project deadlines. As an employer, not only is your business’ reputation at stake, so is the livelihood of everyone in the organization. Lost productivity will also affect your company’s bottom-line in time.
What happens if an employee has no improvement?
If no improvement occurs following repeated absences, the management team may proceed with a temporary suspension, which the employee is informed of in writing.
What to do when an employee loses a family member?
Sometimes you’ll need to be extra understanding. For example, if an employee has lost a family member or has issues with childcare, show them compassion, and give them extra time off if necessary.
Why do managers have access to their team's timesheets?
Managers have access to their team’s timesheets so they can quickly review team working hours. Team members also have access to their own timesheets so that they can see their work hours.
Why is time tracked down to the minute?
As time worked is tracked down to the minute, it’s easier to keep track of absenteeism, tardiness, etc. , and hold them accountable.
When going into a meeting to address an employee’s absenteeism, what should you do?
When going into a meeting to address an employee’s absenteeism, ensure you are willing to listen – the employee may have a valid reason for being absent.
Why Should Employers Address Excessive Absenteeism?
While some employers take excessive absences more seriously than others, the issue of absenteeism certainly can’t be ignored.
7 Things to Do Before Terminating an Employee For Poor Attendance
Here’re a couple of steps you can take to prevent excessive employee absences:
2 FAQs on Terminating an Employee For Poor Attendance
Here’re answers to some common employee termination questions you might have:
Wrapping Up
Clearly, there are several factors to consider before terminating an employee for poor attendance.
Why do attendance management policies need to be changed?
Attendance management policies need alteration from time to time to ensure that they are consistent and updated.
What happens if attendance records are not monitored?
If attendance records are not monitored, it can lead to further problems. With all the information documented, it is vital that you identify the problems and then have a conversation with the employee. A solution must be proposed to address the problem.
What is the role of supervisors in attendance management?
The task of managing employee attendance is critical to a company’s success. Ensure that supervisors receive training on attendance management. They must know how to document attendance and when to apply the rules of the policy.
What is the role of employers in absenteeism?
Employers must firmly take action on patterns of absenteeism. They must demand proper reason and enforce the rules of the attendance management policy.
Why do third party organizations depend on other organizations?
This is because the workers’ compensation authorities or the insurers persuade the employers to rely on their decisions . However, their input is not always true.
What is attendance management system?
An attendance management system needs to also comply with certain legal considerations based on the structure of the organization. So, employers must develop a policy according to legal realities and the issues and objectives of the organization.
Why is it important to introduce the frameworks and technologies that help with the attendance management process?
It is important to introduce the frameworks and technologies that help with the attendance management process. These tools efficiently record the metrics and also gather all other information which may be necessary.
