Workplace absenteeism can be planned or unplanned and can be costly for a company due to lost productivity and the need to pay overtime. Companies develop policies to minimize the financial costs of absenteeism, and governments have laws governing how employers can treat employees regarding absenteeism.
Workplace absenteeism is a phenomenon that occurs whenever an employee fails to report to his or her workplace when scheduled to do so. Absences may be arranged in advance, for example for holidays or medical leave, even if unplanned absenteeism also occurs. Significant levels of absenteeism can be very costly for a company due to lost productivity and the need to pay overtime for other employees who have to top up for those absent, so each company tends to treat the issue differently. Many companies develop some kind of absenteeism policy which specifies the number of days an employee can be absent and any penalties for abuse of the system.
The two main types of absenteeism in the workplace are scheduled and unscheduled. Planned absenteeism refers to events that are planned well in advance, such as holidays, so that the employer is able to pay absence compensation. Some companies offer a certain amount of paid or unpaid leave each year that can be used for this type of absence. In some cases employees are able to keep unused vacation days for the following year, although other companies reset their allotted time each year to prevent excessive workplace absenteeism.
Unplanned workplace absenteeism is caused by events that cannot be planned for in advance. These absences are often caused by sudden medical or family emergencies, transportation breakdowns, or other unforeseen circumstances. Workplace policies differ regarding unscheduled absenteeism, and employees may or may not be paid for this type of time off. Some employers offer a number of paid or unpaid personal days that can be used to justify this type of absence. In other cases, both vacation and personal days are combined into a pool that can be used for planned or unplanned absences.
In addition to individual company policies, many governments also have laws governing how employers can treat employees regarding workplace absenteeism. Every company tends to create a framework that will minimize the financial costs of absenteeism, although such guidelines must comply with local labor laws. In the United States, various laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) limit how employers can deal with absent employees under specific circumstances. Other laws grant employees the right to scheduled absences for religious observances and jury duty, which are other factors that can lead to absenteeism in the workplace.
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