An absenteeism policy outlines the consequences for missing work, including disciplinary action and sanctions. It can also address reasons for absence, such as sickness or family emergencies, and tardiness. Employers use this policy to reduce absenteeism and ensure everyone is treated equally.
Corporate executives are often faced with employee absenteeism, so they will develop a policy that addresses this concern. A standard absenteeism policy might discuss how many times a worker can be absent before facing disciplinary action. It could cover some types of absences, which are justified, and others which are not, with the aim of reducing absenteeism in the workplace. Most companies require employees to read this policy and sign a statement agreeing to its terms upon hiring.
An absenteeism policy is generally geared towards reducing employee absenteeism by spelling out certain sanctions that may occur in the event of a violation. This could be anything from verbal warning to resolution, depending on the frequency of these incidents. The consequences for a first offense are less serious than for subsequent ones. Most employers have specific guidelines to follow regarding the punishment of workers to ensure that everyone in the workplace is treated equally.
Workplace absenteeism can cost companies a great deal of money, so many try to address the reasons why people are missing work when creating a standard policy. For example, some benefits could be made for people who are sick, provided they bring a doctor’s statement to their boss. Other companies provide workers with sick days. Employees might also be excused for other things like jury duty, military service, or the death of immediate family if they are able to provide documentation of these things to their supervisor.
An absenteeism policy can also address delay. This could mean arriving late for a shift or being delayed when checking in from breaks or lunch periods. In some cases, even leaving work early could be considered a crime. Just as with other types of absenteeism in the workplace, lateness is generally treated with a verbal warning at the first opportunity and more harshly if a pattern of this behavior continues.
Most companies include a standard absenteeism policy as part of an employee handbook, which is given to all workers in an organization. During training for new hires, this document is often one of the first discussed, and workers may be required to sign a statement acknowledging that they have received a copy of this policy. By establishing rules, employers can effectively reduce absenteeism so that they can conduct business effectively without being understaffed on a regular basis.
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