Employee Absence Abuse

According to a recent survey done by the Work Force Institute at kronos, 11% of US workers admitted to missing work to watch a sporting event on TV or attend one live. Now that football is in full swing in Ohio, employers need to step up their game when it comes to counting absent employees! Unscheduled absences, like when an employee calls in sick at the last minute, cost organizations 8.7 percent of payroll each year. So what may sound like a few innocent last minutes excuses from football fans or stressed out employees can turn in to a significant monetary loss.

Sick Days Cost employers percentage of payroll each year.

According to another study by Mercer Consulting Firm, incidental unplanned absences also resulted in the highest net loss of productivity per day. Work that is missed or postponed and is not covered by others falls through the cracks.

It is not inappropriate or unreasonable for an employer to check the legitimacy of a sickness report if there is just cause for suspicion. For example, according to a story done by Career Builder in 2011 employees reported some really lame excuses. One employee said she got a bat caught in her hair and had to go to the doctor. Another insisted that he hurt his back chasing a beaver out of his backyard. In such cases it is not illegal for a company to require a note from a doctor or send a qualified medical professional to check on an employee at home.

Some ways to avoid those “sudden illnesses” sick day requests:

Allow employees to work flexible hours.
Provide bonuses and incentives for workers who have perfect attendance records.
Break the cycle! Crack down on workers that call in sick so that others get the message.
Create a culture of work place wellness and responsibility of work ownership.
Educate new hires about company absenteeism policy.
Allow workers to make up sick time.

According to Kim Bolin, (HBS) Horizon Business Solutions Marketing Director, the best way to inspire employees to be responsible about their sick leave, is to keep excellent records that are accessible by the employees. HBS offers a user friendly employment self-service tool that allows downloads for W-2 Forms, Vacation and Sick Leave Schedules, Check Stubs and a host of other documents. Call Erica Hummel at 614-577-1700 to learn more about these affordable Online HR Tools.

Libby Lucas | 08/19/2012

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Employee Absence Abuse