How to reduce employee absenteeism

One of the major problems that employers have to contend with is employee absenteeism. When your employees are not at work your productivity goes down as well as employee morale. This can end up costing your business a lot of money. Savvy employers will take steps to make sure that their employees are as healthy as possible so they can report to work.If you find that your employees are absent a lot then it is time to take steps that will reduce employee absenteeism. Here is what you need to know about how to reduce employee absenteeism-

- Give your employees a healthy place to work-Most of the time employees are not at work because they're sick. If your place of business has lots of germs then you may find that your employees are constantly out sick battling one illness after another. You should start by making sure that your business is getting cleaned. In an attempt to cut costs many employers have let their cleaning staff go. This is a mistake. If you are planning on having your employees clean or think that you will just "wing it" then chances are your business will not be clean enough. Your employees will resent having to clean and most likely will only do enough to just get by. You should consider hiring a professional cleaning staff that will use antibacterial cleaning solutions. This way you will know that your place of business is truly is clean. In addition, you can train your employees to take steps to improve the cleanliness of the workplace. Offering bottles of hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, and even tissues will help to cut down on the spread of germs that will make your employees sick and keep them home.
- Offer an employee wellness program-Businesses that offer an employee wellness program are actually doing two different things. First, they are giving their employees the tools that will help them to achieve a higher level of wellness that will keep them at work. Secondly, studies clearly show that when businesses institute an employee wellness program the employee morale and job satisfaction within the business goes up. The reason for this is that your employees feel that you truly care about them and their well being. This in turn engenders feelings of loyalty and trust that has your employees coming to work and eager to do their best for you. Whether you institute an employee wellness that is small or large, that focuses on exercise and fitness or lots of different components your employees will benefit and appreciate you for your efforts.
- Offer sick leave-You may be surprised to learn that businesses that offer sick leave have less employee absenteeism. This is because employees know that there is an avenue for them when they truly get sick. Contrary to what most employers believe sick leave is generally not abused. To get around the risk of abuse many companies have now instituted a policy that requires a doctor's note in order for sick leave to be paid. However, no matter how you decide to enforce sick leave offering it can have your employees at work when they can get there and at home to recover from illness only when they need to be.
- Provide incentives for your employees to work for-If you find that you still have too much employee absenteeism then you may want to consider offering incentives for perfect attendance or for not using sick leave. This can often be the motivation that has your employees coming to work rather then staying home. Keep in mind that in order for this to work you will need to offer incentives that will be of value for your employees.