1. Good leadership ensures a healthy company
Fear of that jerk of a manager or bullying colleagues: if your employee comes to work every day with lead in his shoes, the step to reporting sick is not far away. Good leadership is essential for a pleasant working atmosphere and a healthy company.
2. Watch for the signals!
Prevention is always better than cure. Do you notice that an employee is less motivated and involved, reports sick more often, is more irritated, and has trouble putting things into perspective? Then send him on preventive leave for a few days. And you really show your employee that you want to invest in his well-being when you give him these leave days as a gift.
3. Regularly hold open conversations with your employees
During these conversations, share mutual expectations and feelings, discuss the workload and the ambitions of your employee. This way, you can intervene in time if your employee turns out to be struggling with work stress.
4. Appreciation leads to less absenteeism
Celebrate successes achieved together with your employees and regularly give them a well-deserved compliment. And let them think along in the solution or the development of complex issues. Motivated and involved employees perform better and report sick less often.
5. Place the right employee in the right position
Working hard is good, but the work must remain manageable for your employees. It starts with the recruitment policy: hiring a vocational education graduate for a position meant for a higher education graduate is asking for trouble. Someone who constantly has to work at the peak of his abilities is at greater risk of burnout. Look not only at his educational level but especially at his competencies.
Want to know more? Read the two-part guest column by Bart Heeren on what you as an employer can do to reduce absenteeism:
• What you as an employer can do to reduce absenteeism (Part 1)
• What you as an employer can do to reduce absenteeism (Part 2)
Or look for more risk insights and prevention tips about absenteeism on the thematic page personnel of Interpolis, especially for entrepreneurs! You can also read more in the Interpolis e-book about absenteeism.
