Attendance Management
A departmental approach to reduce employee absenteeism 

By KEITH SOPHA, Manager of Housekeeping/Linen/Space, Homewood Health Centre, Guelph, Ont.

Absenteeism is a growing concern in most organizations because of its major cost implications both to the bottom line and to employee morale.

Homewood Health Centre believes that every employee contributes to its mission by fulfilling the responsibilities of their job in a positive state of well-being.

Homewood developed an attendance management program to ensure that all employees and managers fulfil their responsibilities by achieving established attendance standards and maintaining a culture of wellness.

The Housekeeping Department at Homewood was experiencing high percentages of absenteeism which was costing the organization an average of 4000 hours of paid absence every year. This did not include the cost of replacement staff.

The cost associated with absence was not the only concern. The department did not have the resources to replace all staff during absence, therefore, the quality of service was being compromised and other staff had to pick up the extra work.

The healthier employees were trying their best to maintain the facility and felt the pain of increased workload. This had a negative effect on employee morale and may have contributed to additional absences.

The image of the department was declining and the lower level of service was concerning to the organization.

Attendance management was the only remedy. After implementing a strategic attendance management plan, absences were reduced by approximately 1400 hours in the first year.

 

Attendance Management Approach

The hospital’s policy on attendance management was reviewed and communicated to all staff. The policy states the following: 

It is the expectation of Homewood Health Centre that every employee will:

(1)   Be in regular attendance at work to effectively perform assigned duties.

(2)   Be fully aware of the attendance requirements of Homewood’s attendance management program and the reporting expectations when absence occurs.

(3)   Work co-operatively with the organization in providing satisfactory information and, when required, documentation of absenteeism.

(4)   Make every effort necessary to resume health quickly to ensure a prompt, healthy return to productive employment.

(5)   Participate in a modified work program, when applicable, to achieve optimum attendance at work.

 

The department followed Homewood’s supervisor’s attendance management guide. This guide was developed to assist all supervisors and managers on attendance management by:

1.      Providing clear policies and procedures.

2.      Identifying roles and responsibilities.

3.      Providing systems and supports for administering the program.

 

With the evolution of computer technology, five-year attendance profiles on all staff could be created for all staff. This information was key in determining patterns of absence and excessive absence. 

Absence benchmarks were considered and the department’s absence statistics were compared to those of other departments. 

Employees whose attendance was causing concern were identified and attendance interviews were arranged. Although Homewood’s attendance program is non-disciplinary, staff could bring a union representative to the interview. 

Staff with good attendance were acknowledged and the department introduced an incentive plan, which rewarded 100 per cent attendance
Applyachievers. All employees with 100 per cent attendance over a three-month period were entered into a draw. The winner received a preferred work schedule for the next three months – Monday to Friday with all weekends off. 

Attendance management is all about monitoring, communicating and assisting your staff. When we met with employees, some did not realize how often they were absent and improved just because they became aware they were contributing to the departmental concern. 

Others were provided additional support through Homewood’s Occupational Health Department and/or Employee Assistance Program to deal with their health and/or other issues, which contributed to their absence. 

The union was supportive of the attendance program, helping to ensure employees made every effort to participate in the hospital’s attendance plan. In some cases they helped to ensure staff members took advantage of the Occupational Health assistance and Employee Assistance Program. 

Productive and meaningful modified work plans were planned and developed with permanent accommodations to help staff attend work regularly. 

NOTE:  It was important to not give the unhealthy worker the preferred shifts and/or work assignments, and to not be punitive to the worker. Every effort was made to be fair to all employees. 

Attendance management is not an easy task. It takes commitment, consistent monitoring, constant follow-up and patience. However, the benefits are well worth the effort. 

The Housekeeping Department improved its budget, increased staff morale, reduced the workload issue, is providing better service and is maintaining the credibility of the department and team. 

If you manage absenteeism, staff will appreciate your efforts. They take pride in the work they do and want to maintain a positive image of the Housekeeping Department and Team. 

 

- Keith Sopha is a certified member of the Canadian Association of Environmental Management and newly-appointed to the association’s Board of Directors.