What is absenteeism?

Absenteeism refers to the situation in which an employee is not present is at work, usually due to illness or other personal circumstances.

Absenteeism is by far the most common form of absenteeism. If it concerns flu or a common cold, it often involves short-term absence. In the case of a prolonged illness or a burnout, there is long-term or chronic absenteeism.

Absenteeism can also be unjustified , for example, if an employee is absent without a valid reason.

What is the impact of absenteeism?

Employees are the driving force of your organisation, so it goes without saying that absenteeism can have a major impact on its operation:

Higher costs

Absenteeism costs a lot of money, to society but also to you as an employer, taking into account sick pay, costs of replacement staff or possible loss of revenue.

Reduced productivity

Reorganizing work and burdening colleagues with extra tasks can be detrimental to productivity and lead to reduced performance on the workplace.

Loss of knowledge

In the event of long-term absenteeism, valuable knowledge and know-how can be lost, especially when it concerns experienced employees.

Reduced engagement

Frequent or long-term absenteeism can sometimes cause employees to lose their connection with the organisation, which does not benefit team dynamics.

To get a better understanding of the impact of absenteeism, in addition to the classic absenteeism rate, the Bradford factor is often used. This involves multiplying the total number of sick days of an employee by the square of the number of sickness periods. The absenteeism rate provides an idea of what percentage of the time someone was absent, whereas with the Bradford factor, repeated short-term absenteeism will carry more weight than a single longer period of absence.

How to limit absenteeism

Absenteeism is sometimes based on a very clear health problem, but in other cases, it is a complex interplay of various factors. This means that a standard solution to limit absenteeism is not available. 

Developing an absence management policy

Developing an effective absence management policy is crucial for any company actively committed to workplace well-being and wishing to maintain smooth work organisation. The absence management policy is the collection of rules and agreements that apply in an organisation regarding presence and absence. 

The absence management policy outlines how to report illness, how contact with absent employees is maintained, what actions are taken in case of frequent or long-term absence, and what support channels are available within the organisation for employees with (physical or mental) health problems.

The absenteeism process in phases

A customised absence management policy can help you as an employer in the various phases of an absenteeism process: 

  • Work phase

An effective absence management policy starts even before an employee reports sick. When there is a good fit between the employee and their work situation, the likelihood of absenteeism decreases. 

The ergonomic risk assessment and the risk assessment of the psychosocial well-being of employees can play an important role in this. Making clear agreements regarding sick leave also proves its worth in this phase. 

  • Absenteeism phase

The recovery process of an employee who is absent is naturally determined by the reason for absence and the employee's health condition. As an employer, you can also facilitate, by maintaining positive contact with the employee or by co-thinking about possibilities for adapted work. This lowers the return-to-work threshold.

  • Recovery phase

An absenteeism process does not stop the moment an employee returns to work, so the recovery phase should not be overlooked. The necessary support and a good follow-up of made agreements contribute to sustainable recovery.

Long-term absenteeism

Because the impact of long-term absenteeism on an organisation is so significant, it is advisable to pay extra attention to this in the absence management policy. This is with a view to a successful reintegration of the employee in question, a trajectory for which Premed offers the necessary support. 

If a reintegration trajectory does not provide a solution, a medical force majeure procedure can also be initiated via Premed to investigate to what extent the employee can ever resume their current job.

 

Woman in armchair blowing nose

Support via Premed

Premed offers integral support at both organisational and individual level , both in setting up an absence management policy and during the work phase, absence, and after return to work.

Setting up an absence management policy

  • Training and info sessions (see training section) on setting up a policy, conducting absence interviews, etc.
  • Guidance to develop and implement a tailored policy for your organisation.
  • Providing many sample documents

The work phase

  • At organisational level: risk analyses of all well-being areas, health promotion, confidential adviser function, developing well-being policy, health compass.
  • At individual level: stress coaching, ergonomic optimization of the workplace, health assessment, consultation with occupational physician.

In case of absence

  • Confidential consultations with occupational physicians and psychosocial prevention advisers.
  • Facilitating informal and formal reintegration trajectories, including medical examinations and advice.
  • Mediation in conflicts and guidance for return to work.
  • Investigation within the framework of special procedure medical force majeure.

After return to work

  • Our multidisciplinary team remains available for individual guidance trajectories by our psychosocial prevention advisers and for follow-up by an occupational physician.

Frequently asked questions

An effective absence management policy includes clear reporting procedures, maintains contact with sick employees, detects risks early, and offers appropriate support. The policy must be developed in collaboration with doctors and prevention advisers. 

Absence means that an employee is not at work. This can be short-term (for example, due to a cold) or long-term (for example, due to a serious illness or burnout). Sometimes there is unlawful absence. 

Premed offers both organisational and individual support: they help develop a policy, conduct risk analyses, coach managers and employees, facilitate reintegration processes, and advise on medical force majeure.

The Bradford Factor is a formula used to measure the impact of absenteeism in the workplace, with particular attention to frequent short-term absenteeism. The idea behind it is that many short absences are more disruptive to an organisation than a single long-term absence.

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