Absenteeism from work: what it is, types, characteristics and how to prevent it

Work absenteeism consists of not attending the workplace or not fulfilling work obligations, whether or not it is foreseeable and justified.

In this article we will talk about absenteeism, and we will see what it consists of, what types exist, what consequences it generates and how to try to reduce or control it.

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What is work absenteeism?

Absenteeism from work consists of the non-attendance of an employee to his job, thus failing to comply with their obligations, thus breaching the conditions present in the employment contract. Therefore, it is a phenomenon studied by the Psychology of Work and Organizations.

This abandonment of work is a problem for the company or the organization, since its structure is designed so that all workers attend, their function and production being affected if someone does not do your job, leading to losses economic.

Types of absenteeism

As we have seen, the general characteristic of work absenteeism is the non-attendance of a worker at his workplace during the working day. Given this definition we can distinguish between three different types of absenteeism that differ in some characteristics.

1. Predictable and justified work absenteeism

In foreseeable or justified work absenteeism, the employee notifies his superior of his non-attendance for a limited period. In this way, it is done legally and the company, being able to foresee the absence, can try to compensate it, thus generating less disturbance. Examples of this type of absenteeism can be: due to illness, work accident, maternity or paternity... In these cases the employee continues to receive compensation, the company keep paying.

Likewise, justified absenteeism can also be carried out due to personal matters, in this case the The company may not pay the worker during the days of non-attendance or may consider them days of absence. holidays.

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2. Absenteeism from work that is unforeseeable and without justification

In unforeseeable and unjustified absenteeism, the employee does not attend his workplace without prior notice and without transmitting to the company a justification. It is therefore necessary for the worker to contact the company and justify his non-attendance; Otherwise, a sanction can be carried out. There are three types of sanction: minor, which consists of a reprimand; serious, supposes a suspension of work and salary; and very serious, involves dismissal, this type of sanction is usually carried out when the worker does not justify his absence at any time.

3. Absenteeism from work in person or present

As its name indicates, absenteeism in person, consists of the employee's attendance at his job, but without performing the functions that correspond to himwithout fulfilling their responsibilities. In this way, we can say that the worker is physically present, but his attention and occupation are focused on other issues that are not labor. For example, you can be continuously consulting your mobile, visiting internet pages without work purpose, in short, performing personal tasks that have nothing to do with work.

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Consequences of work absenteeism

Absenteeism from work entails negative consequences both for the company, as we have already mentioned, as well as for the employee and even for the company's social security or mutual insurance company.

In references to the company, it may see its production reduced, thus affecting its profit or compliance with its customers. Likewise, the affectation generated by absenteeism will also depend on how essential the employee is for the correct operation of the company, as expected to more responsibility and more work in charge affectation. The organization may decide to hire a substitute during the period of absence, thus assuming a higher cost, since it is one more salary and registering with Social Security. Regardless of whether absenteeism is justified or not, it can affect the company.

Similarly, if the organization decides not to hire a substitute and requires the other workers to perform the the absent person supposes a greater work for the companions, being able to derive in conflicts, which worsens the atmosphere of worked.

The absent employee may also be affected, with negative consequences, since his salary may be reduced, even if the absence is justified, for example, due to illness. In case of unforeseeable and unjustified absenteeism, as we said, it can lead to the dismissal of the worker. Regardless of wage loss or reduction, his image in the company and with his colleagues may also be affected, even if it is a justified absence, since the organization usually shows negative consequences. Similarly, indirectly, people who depend on the employee's salary, for example their children, may also be affected.

Finally, we can also talk about consequences for Social Security or for the Mutual, as well as an affectation at a social level, in In general, since the main economic engine is companies and absenteeism from work generates alterations in the correct functioning of are.

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How to reduce work absenteeism

Given the negative consequences of absenteeism at different levels, both for the company and for the worker and even at the social, it may be favorable to carry out some behaviors in order to reduce the risk of absenteeism, on some occasions we will not be able to avoid it, as is the case of maternity or paternity leave, but on other occasions trying and acting early can reduce the presence of absenteeism.

Timely action by the company can prevent major problems in the future. In this way, ensuring the physical and psychological health of its employees is essential to prevent them from having to be absent in the future. Likewise, changes at the company level to achieve greater employee satisfaction and greater control of their work have also been found useful.

1. Employee Health Check

Provide the means of work so that employees can maintain good physical health, have adequate furniture to perform tasks correctly, have breaks to be able to move, change posture and rest, have time to eat, offering healthy food, if there is a restaurant service and allowing it to be eaten in adequate conditions, with time to do so, without having to work or to run. Carrying out medical check-ups, to control the health of workers, also helps to prevent, to act early in the face of possible illnesses.

In addition, mental health is also paramount, is often not taken into account, forgetting that for people to function well and perform tasks, their mental health must be adequate. In this way, activities can be carried out with the intention of reducing stress and anxiety, such as yoga, and ensure, at the company level, that the conditions of the workers are adequate so that they are satisfied and motivated.

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2. Control of the operation of the company

It is important that the company has a correct mode of operation to favor the work of its employees and their satisfaction, thus resulting in greater production. We may believe that looking after the employee can have negative consequences for the organization, but we are really preventing the employee from being absent in the future.

In this way, the company must try to offer greater labor flexibility, it must give importance to the fulfillment of the objectives and not so much to the hours dedicated and allow employees to combine work life with personal life. In the end, work is part of our lives, but there are also many other areas from which we must occupy ourselves, we cannot dedicate all our time to work, since in the end we finish saturated.

Also, the company must try to provide the necessary tools, knowledge and training to its employees to carry out their tasks. Ensure a good work environment, with good communication and that workers feel integrated, listened to, that they are taken into account and their opinion is valued.

It is important that the company carry out a control of its employees to avoid absenteeism in person; it is recommended to limit access to the Internet, that you cannot use some applications or visit some websites. As well as, implement a signing system to control who goes to work and what working day they do.