It’s the morning after Mardi Gras, and Joe calls in sick. S. workers call in “sick” after the Super Bowl each year.
While employees may not realize the consequences of their behavior to the organization, excessive absences have a significant impact on workplace productivity. In a small business, these effects are even more noticeable, because the size of the company means the work can’t always be redistributed among other employees. And no matter the size of the company, morale is affected when coworkers have to pick up the slack of a routinely absent worker. But by dealing with attendance issues as soon as they arise, managers can control the issue and reduce the negative effects on the business.
Step One: Documentation Record the employee’s absences to see if any obvious trends or patterns exist. It can be helpful to create a chart to record the days, or use specific colors to annotate a printed monthly calendar . Visually representing the leave will help you identify if a pattern of absences is occurring-and it can also be a reality check for the employee to see his leave documented in that way.
Check if he always calls out on the same days, before or after the weekend, or around major events. Determine how long the pattern has been occurring and see if you can identify the reason. More than one employee’s absences have conveniently coincided with the home games of the local baseball team.
Step Two: Consider the Family Medical Leave Act Has the employee given you an excuse for his absences? If so, review the reasons to see if they are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act , or FMLA. Occasional sniffles and the common cold don’t qualify-but if your employee is suffering from migraines, he is likely to be entitled to family medical leave. Even if you don’t know the reason, a pattern of absences might indicate that the employee could qualify for intermittent leave . Give him the FMLA certification form for his doctor to complete.
Joe’s not alone – 2007 research from time and attendance software provider Kronos suggested that approximately 7 million U
Companies with 50 or more employees-or who have employed 50 or more workers for at least 20 weeks within the current or previous calendar year-are required to provide unpaid, protected leave to eligible staff members. The employee must have been employed for at least 12 months, worked a minimum of 1,250 hours in the previous 12 months, and be located at a worksite where at least 50 other company employees are also employed within a 75-mile radius.
Step Three: Meet with the Employee Once you’ve prepared the chart and gathered the relevant paperwork , set a time to meet with the employee. Choose a private location and schedule a time when you won’t be interrupted.
- Conversation Tip Prepare reddit Dubbo hookup the employee for the meeting by letting him know what you plan to discuss: “Joe, I’d like to meet with you at 3 today, in my office. I have some concerns about your attendance that I need to discuss with you.”
You were expecting it-after all, he was sick the Friday before a long weekend, and the Monday after the big game
Tell the employee you’ve noticed he’s been absent frequently, and explain the effects his attendance has on the company as a whole.
- Conversation Tip“Joe, when you’re out, customers notice delays, and your coworkers have to take on the extra work. It makes it difficult for us to get the job done the way we need to.”
