Sickness absences and other general employee absenteeism always affect the productivity and profitability of a firm. When an employee who was working on a particular project falls ill, the project may need to be halted for a reasonable amount of time, or in the worst-case scenario, the project may stall. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the organization to identify the causes of absenteeism and ways to mitigate them. In this article, you will find ways of reducing sickness rates at work.
Improve the Working Environment
In a normal organizational setting, employees report to the same place every day and sit not so far from each other. Therefore, it is vital to give them a conducive environment that is necessary for their wellbeing and good health.
In open offices, noise disturbances and bright lights often result in distractions, headaches, and an increase in stress levels. Allocating a couple of silent spots with warm lighting can provide the aesthetics employees need. Ergonomics are an essential factor to improve because back problems often result in sickness absenteeism.
One way of reducing sickness rates at work is conducting consistent check-ups and ergonomics audits. Key to note is that employee feedback will help identify weaknesses in their areas of work.
Flexibility at the Workplace
To increase productivity and work absences, you need to create a flexible work schedule for employees to align their professional and private needs. Remote work has been facilitated by the advancements in technology and is only expected to increase in popularity.
Nowadays, various jobs can be done from home, and it is important to consider this factor when looking for absenteeism-prevention tools. Allowing people the flexibility to start their work at different times of the day to avoid stressful commuting, or working according to their school schedule, creates employee satisfaction, which in turn drastically reduces the need to take stress-caused or family emergency absences.
Hire Culture-Fit Staff
Employee absenteeism is primarily caused by the culture of the workplace. To reduce absenteeism, the first thing to do is hiring the right people. Factors to consider include whether the employees are being challenged enough, whether their social environment feels right, and whether their career objectives match your business goals.
Some employees prefer a calm workplace, whereas others like more high-pressure environments. There are introverts and extroverts who need different work conditions to be satisfied. In as much as introverts can socialize, they also need some alone time to recharge. It is important to ensure that they get the space they need to relax. On the other hand, extroverts start getting restless in a very quiet workplace.
These factors, if not handled properly, can decrease employee morale and create dissatisfaction among the employees. This will, in turn, result in staff taking absences from their workplaces.
Provide Mental and Psychological Assistance
Many employees experience depression which requires space and time to recover from, leading to employee absenteeism. The combination of stress both inside and outside the workplace results in employees taking off-days to sort their mental issues. However, providing employees with a counselor and facilities to manage stress would help distressed employees get some weight off their shoulders.
Emphasize on Safety
Sick absences can be caused by bodily injuries resulted from accidents at the place of work. Neglecting occupational safety precautions results in numerous staff members getting injured at their work areas. This means more employees going on sick leave on a consistent basis until the cause of accidents is sorted out.
Therefore, it is vital to consider factors such as availability of health and safety personnel in your business, compliance with established health and safety regulations, employees are always in full protective equipment, and employee awareness of relevant rules and regulations.
Summary
Sick absences are typical in every workplace. However, tracking and managing employee absences helps to identify areas to improve and prevent re-occurrences. Understanding how to advance occupational health and safety is the key task to HR personnel, executives, and entrepreneurs in general.
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