Absence Management

Absence management refers to a scope of practices, policies, or tools that HR managers use to reduce employee absenteeism and maintain productivity. This structured approach typically involves managing planned, unplanned and unauthorised absences, which often disrupt operations within your organisation.

Absence management is essential if you want to strike the right balance between enabling your employees to take leave due to health issues and maintaining company productivity. In a workspace where health and well-being are highly valued, employees are less prone to take non-genuine absences.

This leads to lower absenteeism and higher team morale since employees feel supported in achieving work-life balance. Your employees come back to work refreshed and ready to tackle any challenges, helping you drive your business forward.

There are different types of employee absences, which vary based on the causes and whether absence procedures were followed.

Planned absences

Planned absences are time off that employees schedule in advance, providing their employers with sufficient notice to make necessary arrangements. Such absences include annual leave, parental leave, or personal leave. Employees typically request planned absences through already established procedures. Once the absence request gets approved, it’s integrated into the workflow planning.  

Unplanned absences

As the name suggests, unplanned absences occur out of the blue due to unexpected circumstances or emergencies. These include sick leave, emergency leave, and bereavement leave. Given their nature, unplanned absences aren’t requested in advance. Although these absences are more disruptive to business operations, they're generally unavoidable and necessary for employee well-being.

Unauthorised absences

Unlike the first two types of absences, unauthorised absences don’t follow procedures and aren’t backed by legitimate reasons. Employees might take absences that follow a suspicious pattern, such as regularly calling in sick on Mondays or Fridays or always taking sick days adjacent to scheduled holidays. Unauthorised absences typically violate company policies and may result in disciplinary action. 

The following practices provide a framework to help you develop absence management strategies that benefit both — your organisation and employees. 

Clear attendance policies

Set the foundation for effective absence management by clearly detailing what different types of absences are, how to report them, and what happens if rules aren't followed. On top of that, make sure that they’re easily accessible to everyone. It’s also important to review and update policies regularly to keep them current with company needs and employment laws.

Absence tracking software

In the past, tracking, monitoring, and managing employees’ absence required spreadsheets and manual work, which led to errors. Nowadays, there are updated options for more accurate tracking, such as absence tracking software. These systems automate leave requests, approvals, and record-keeping. Plus, you can approve or decline absence requests with just a click. 

Flexible work arrangements

One of the best ways to reduce absenteeism is to offer flexible work arrangements, like remote work, flexible hours, or unlimited PTO. When the reins of the working schedule are in the employees’ hands, they can balance work and personal responsibilities better. However, note that these flexible work arrangements require clear expectations about availability and communication. 

Return-to-work strategies

Reach out to returning employees before their first day back to address concerns and prepare any needed accommodations. Train managers to handle sensitive return situations, especially those involving health issues. Follow up with returning employees to see how they're adjusting and whether they need additional support.

Simply put, absence management aims to reduce absenteeism by implementing various strategies, whereas leave management refers to the administrative side of tracking absences. If your organisation faces unauthorised or unplanned absences, the HR department will introduce policies around attendance expectations, notification procedures for missing work, and consequences for excessive unplanned absences.

On the other hand, leave management involves processing leave requests, ensuring proper documentation, and coordinating leave schedules. Leave management plays an important role in maintaining compliance with legal requirements and company policies regarding different types of leave.

Yes, employers are legally required to track certain employee absences in most cases, though specific requirements vary by location and company size.

Employers must track absences for payroll purposes to ensure accurate wage payments, especially for hourly employees. This includes documenting when employees are absent from calculating pay periods and withholding the correct tax amounts correctly.

Many jurisdictions have laws requiring employers to provide and track specific types of leave. For example, in the United States, employers covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) must track eligible employees' use of their 12 weeks of protected leave. Similarly, employers in states with mandatory sick leave laws must monitor employees' accrual and use of sick time.

Reducing absenteeism necessitates a multi-faceted approach to detect and address the root causes accurately. Start by nurturing a positive work environment where employees feel valued and understood. Use one-on-one meetings as a chance to demystify issues — it might be workload concerns, interpersonal conflicts, or personal challenges. In that way, you can tackle issues before they become the reason for absences. 

In addition, wellness programs that address both physical and mental health can significantly impact attendance rates. Access to counselling services, fitness programs, and stress management resources helps employees maintain their well-being, reducing illness-related absences and burnout.