Case Study: Managing high levels of absenteeism

Client: Building firm

Size: 10-15 employees

Problem: Problematic absenteeism among staff, resulting in missed deadlines, lack of productivity and extra costs to the business

John's Problem: Managing absenteeism

Our client had grown from a sole trader to a well-respected local building business relatively quickly. Owner John* built his business from the ground up and was now he was on the tools less and taking on a more managerial function across his very busy business.

In June, John and his foreman discussed the increase in lateness and absenteeism, beyond their employees entitlements. His foreman told him he had previously discussed this in tool box meetings, but it was still causing delays and increased costs. He told John he was getting really frustrated and no one seemed to care about getting the work done. John was also concerned that this could lead to poor customer experience and was anxious that this be nipped in the bud to avoid reputational damage. But he hadn't had to manage absenteeism before and felt to busy to deal with it.

Getting support

John initially came to us and asked us to undertake our free HR audit on his business. He also raised that he was struggling to manage the absenteeism and lateness and asked us to see if there were systems or changes he could put in place to reduce this.

Next we looked at the data around attendance. This was to see how much of the absenteeism was explained, how much could be unreasonable and whether it was spread across his team, or if just a couple of employees. This helped us come up with a plan to support his business in tackling the absences.

Taking Action

With guidance from Employer Direct, John began to implement changes in his company. The free audit had given John some easy wins to make sure his business was on track, compliant and that he was reducing his risk of any personal grievances. Our top three suggestions were:

• updating his employment agreements to a more compliant and clear version;

• improving his record keeping, including any changes to terms or pay rates; and

• putting policies in place so that his team clearly knew what his expectations were.

As part of this, John realised that while he had firm views on how absences should be managed, he didn't have a policy around this, a clear process on what he expected his employees to do if they could not attend, or what could happen if they didn't follow this process. Employer Direct helped him create this policy and implement it with his staff's understanding and support.

As these changes were made, it became clear that as the business had grown busier and bigger, there had been less attention paid to the team culture. When the business had been smaller, John had attended all tool box meetings, worked alongside his staff and maintained a close oversight of them. He knew them well and it had felt like a close family. As he had become busier and the business had grown, he realised that this had been somewhat lost and his team had lost engagement which had contributed to absenteeism.

As a result, Employer Direct was asked to provide John's foreman leadership support and to put a template in place for how a tool box meeting needed to run. John's business also put in place regular team meetings to discuss issues and congratulate success. John also made sure he attended site on a regular basis.

Changes and Improvements

As weeks passed, John observed a remarkable shift in his workplace culture. His staff became more engaged and collaborative, leading to a positive atmosphere and and increase in productivity. He also found that the previous levels of lateness and unexplained absenteeism were steadily decreasing and his team seemed happier all round. This proactive approach had cultivated an environment where employees felt respected and knew what John expected of them through small, easy steps. This ultimately enhanced the team culture and John believes, his ability to retain good workers.

"Not turning up to work was becoming a big problem for us. I didn't think such small changes would have such a big impact on me and the boys"

In summary

Small business owners facing similar challenges may also find that small changes can have big results. The potential advantages of tailored HR solutions are significant, and investing in workplace culture is more than just avoiding grievances. It facilitates an environment where employees can excel, ultimately generating greater success for the business.

In a world where productivity and attendance can make or break a business, John's story serves as a powerful example of the benefits of proactive HR strategies, no matter how small. Want to see results in your business? Give us a call.

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*names have been changed.