Absenteeism in the workplace has negative effects on the company, employees, and clients. It can disrupt workflow, cause stress, and lead to customer dissatisfaction. Absent employees may also feel isolated and suffer from emotional problems. Causes of absenteeism vary, but disciplinary action can be taken for those who abuse it.
In most businesses, employees are interconnected and depend on each other to get work done, spreading the effects of absenteeism. The effects of absenteeism are felt not only by the company but by the employees. Other employees will have to work harder during a colleague’s absence; if that employee is crucial to the workflow, absence can substantially disrupt a project. Even the absent employee can feel isolated, especially if they depend on work for social interaction. If customers depend on that employee – or a quick response that is missing due to understaffing – the customer may become disappointed or frustrated and leave the business due to the employee’s absence.
The effects of absenteeism on a company are obvious. Workers who show up for work will have to work harder to ensure that the project gets done in the same amount of time. If the absent employee is important to the workflow, due to a particular skill or piece of information, work will be disrupted and the project may be impossible to finish. This costs the company money and causes a lot of stress for the whole company, especially if absenteeism is a frequent problem.
For the client, the effects of absenteeism can cause clients to leave the business and find a new one to attend to. This may be because the absent employee was the customer’s contact, and without him or her present, the customer may feel uncomfortable or not get the level of service they need. If a customer expects a quick response but is asked to wait an unusually long time because other employees are covering for their customers and those of the absent worker, that customer may also be left out in frustration at the delayed response.
Employees who inadvertently miss a lot of work due to illness may have emotional problems stemming from their absenteeism. Those employees may feel isolated because they depend on the social interaction available in the workplace. This can lead to depression in some employees.
The causes of absenteeism are varied. Most commonly, an employee is sick but will be back within a few days and there isn’t much a manager can or should do about it. Employees who would rather be with friends than work may be away just to have fun. If caught, this type of absenteeism usually elicits disciplinary responses to make it clear to the employee that he can’t just quit his job. For people with disabilities, allowing the employee to work at home or giving them manageable tasks to help complete a job can alleviate the effects of absenteeism.
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