What is absenteeism?


Employee absenteeism is when employee's do not attend work, and occurs for many reasons. It is a significant challenge for employers and can have ongoing damaging effects. Absenteeism can make it more difficult to manage your business effectively, so effective strategies to manage absenteeism are very important. People become ill now and then, but regular, avoidable or long-term absenteeism wastes time and money, lowers productivity, and erodes profits.

 Why is managing absenteeism important?


  • You ensure work is able to be carried out as expected.
  • You can plan and manage your business effectively.
  • You clarify expectations with employees about the importance of regular attendance at work.
  • You enable employees to return to work at the earliest opportunity, minimizing disruption to the workplace and encouraging employee engagement with work.
  • You minimize the risk of absence extending into the long term, which affects productivity and in some cases an actual return to work.
  • Good absenteeism management practices will help you to identify and remedy problems before they become habits.
  • Absenteeism may be an indicator for other issues in your organisation which need to be remedied.
  • Absenteeism puts your other employees under pressure and can negatively affect relationships and teamwork.


How we help:


  • We provide strategies for dealing with regular absenteeism or a long-term absentee.
  • We can liaise with ACC and rehabilitation specialists to support returning to work.
  • We are able to organise referrals to specialist providers to obtain assessments and recommendations appropriate to employment.
  • We provide advice, guidance and draft documentation for engaging employees in a dialogue about their absenteeism to find a resolution.