Absenteeism

We advise employers to address labour as a business risk proactively in order to promote a working environment with reduced conflict, friction and misunderstanding, which in turn creates a structured environment receptive for growth.

Absenteeism is a common issue in the workplace with a huge impact on business activities. The employer must address absenteeism effectively to ensure productivity.

What does absenteeism mean?

Apart from not being at work without permission, absenteeism can be seen as a broader category which also includes:

• Arriving late to work (it is still absence as long as the employee is not at work)
• Leaving work early
• Unauthorised breaks
• Extended breaks (smoke, toilet, lunch, tea, etc.)
• Feigned illness
• Other unexplained absences from the workstation or from the premises

It is the employee’s duty to commence and end duties at the times required, and/or contractually agreed to with the employer. When employees do not follow the rules, employers have the right to act in accordance with the workplace disciplinary code, which not only stipulates the rules of the workplace, but also the appropriate sanction. It is vital that these rules are discussed with employees and reduced to writing. The employers can only then prove that employees are aware of the rules as well as the consequences when these rules are broken.

How do you deal with absenteeism?

There are three important steps:

• Interview the offender and write down what he/she says.
• The employee must prove that the absence was justified.
• Reasons may be produced by the employee, but even if a reason might seem valid it can still be unacceptable – apply your disciplinary code.

The employee should always notify the employer by any means possible of his/her absence. It is very seldom that there are no means whatsoever available of notifying the employer of the absence.

Note however, that even if the employee does notify you that he/she will be absent for the day, such notification does not mean that the absence is now authorized. You have three options depending on the circumstances:

• Request him/her to come to work
• Treat the absence as authorized and pay the employee for the period absent
• Process the absence as unpaid leave

It is important to record and keep record of all incidents, including absenteeism and late coming, in an incident book or an employee file and act according to your disciplinary code. Sanction given must always be fair for the type of misconduct

Absence after permission has been refused

Desertion