The current environment I am in is very fast paced and to the point. We are competing against other staffing agencies and internal talent teams to find the best talent on the market. All that matters in closing the deal with the best candidate for the job as quickly as possible
Missing one or two days is not inherently a big deal until you zoom out and see the bigger picture. Absenteeism tells a different story and can signal that something in your workplace is not functioning properly. Like wildfire, absenteeism can spread quickly and quietly. This can lead to ill reputable damage to your culture and finances.
In this post, we’re getting real about absenteeism: what it is, why it happens, and how HR teams can stop managing it passively and start solving it proactively. These aren’t generic best practices, they are detailed, workable policies designed for HR teams ready to build something better.
What Is Absenteeism?
The frequent and unplanned absences of an employee, that can often lead to loss of productivity and an increase in workload for other employees is called Absenteeism (Kenton, 2024). It is not just calling out sick or using paid time off (PTO), it is someone not showing up to work repeatedly in unplanned ways, taking away from work. As a manager or HR professional it is your job to spot these patterns and resolve them before they begin to impact on your team.
Sometimes it’s health. Sometimes it’s stress. Sometimes it’s culture. But it’s always a red flag.
If you’re only tracking attendance and not connecting it to the broader employee experience, you’re leaving value and people on the table.
The Real Cost of Absenteeism
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) released a report saying that unplanned absences account for 2.6 percent of full-time worker’s schedule. That may not sound like a lot but according to SHRM, the cost for hourly worker at $3,600 and $2,600 for salaried employees. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
The hidden costs are what really hurt:
- Burnout for the people who have to pick up the slack
- Disruption in team flow and morale
- Delays in projects and delivery timelines
And if you’re in high volume recruitment or managing a talent pipeline strategy, absenteeism is a killer. It derails workflows and weakens your talent retention strategy in ways most leaders don’t see until it’s too late.
What Causes Absenteeism?
A company needs to understand why absenteeism happens before you can fix it. I have seen causes of absenteeism fall into three categories
- Health Related: this is because of chronic illness, burnout stress or lack of mental health resources
- Workplace Related: I typically see issues here come from a toxic culture or poor management relationship
- Personal/Family Related: childcare, transportation issues, life admin.
Harvard Business Review found that companies without flexibility saw a 43% spike in unplanned absences. So let’s stop pretending rigid policies aren’t part of the problem.
Absenteeism is not about being lazy but more about something much deeper.
4 HR Policies to Combat Absenteeism
Good intentions are one thing, but they are not going to fix your absenteeism problem. You will need to implement a plan that is structured, holds the right parties accountable and all the managers need to be on board. Only then can we fix this issue.
1. Flexible Work with Guardrails
Goal: Build structure without rigidity. Employees get autonomy, managers get alignment.
How to do it:
- Make sure your team has defined core work hours (Working outside of these hours will lead to burnout)
- Set expectations around communication and set an open-door policy to not all conflict or issues fester.
- Build schedules that factor in roles, not just policies
What to use:
- Automation tools to track working habits
- Manager training modules focused on flexible leadership
- A medium for quick communication or meetings (Microsoft Teams or Slack)
Why it works: When people have some control over their schedules, they’re more present. Literally and emotionally.
2. Proactive Absence Tracking + Stay Interviews
Goal: Don’t wait until someone’s on their way out. Act early.
How to do it:
- Use your HRIS software to track absences are they occur (Workday or BambooHR)
- Set soft thresholds internally (Example: After 3 Absences, check in but do not start a confrontation which could create a toxic environment.)
- Pair trend data with regular stay interviews with high performers
What to use:
- A customizable absences templates for documentation
- HRIS Reporting software
- Training and guides for managers to have empathetic conversations
Why it works: Disengagement is the first sign of absenteeism and addressing it early will put your organization in a better position to keep its employees. Before resignations pour in, solve the problems as the come up.
3. Mental Health Is Policy, Not Perk
Goal: Ensure that wellbeing is a part of your core benefits, not just a nice to have.
How to do it:
- Offer access to mental health apps and flexible PTO for wellness
- Run monthly wellbeing touchpoints with leadership
- Normalize “mental health days” as part of your PTO program
What to use:
- Your benefits platform for anonymous tracking
- Surveys to assess mental health program effectiveness
Why it works: Burnout isn’t just bad for people, it is bad for performance. You don’t build high performers in environments that ignore stress.
4. Manager Coaching Around Attendance
Goal: Turn managers into early responders, not accidental enforcers.
How to do it:
- Build absenteeism training into your manager’s onboarding
- Use real examples to show when to step in and how
- Review absenteeism data by team in quarterly performance reviews
What to use:
- Internal or external talent development consultants
- Scorecards linked to manager driven engagement outcomes
Why it works: An employee’s relationship with their manager is considered the first line of defense. Employees interact with their managers on a daily basis and managers need to be aware of what to look for.
How to Know If It’s Working
Absenteeism isn’t solved by vibes. You need real numbers:
- Monthly absenteeism rate
- Ratio of planned vs unplanned time off
- Exit interview mentions stress, burnout, or fairness
- Engagement shifts via employee net promoter scores
According to CIPD (2023), a good absenteeism strategy can cut absences by 25% in the first year. But only if you actually measure and adjust.
Where Absenteeism Fits Into Talent Strategy
Absenteeism doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It shows up when other systems break down:
- Talent Acquisition Strategy: A weak hiring process leads to poor job fit, which leads to attendance problems.
- Talent Development Strategy: No growth = no motivation. And no motivation = more Mondays “off.”
- Talent Retention Strategy: If people don’t feel seen or supported, they start disengaging. And it shows up first in attendance data.
This is what strategic talent management actually looks like
Final Word: Build a Culture That Shows Up
If your company is seeing an overwhelming amount of absenteeism, it is time to look in the mirror at fix what is broken. Implementing the right policies, building more structure, and a whole lot of empathy a company can rebuild trust and combat absenteeism. Get ahead of disengagement and your company will thrive.
Your next steps? Start tracking trends. Coach your managers. Launch one of these policies on a small scale. And most importantly, TALK TO YOUR PEOPLE!!
We don’t fix absenteeism by watching it. We fix it by showing up differently.
References (APA)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and industry. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/abs2.t01.htm
- Harvard Business Review. (2023). Why Flexibility Is the Key to Reducing Absenteeism. https://hbr.org
- Society for Human Resource Management. (2024). Understanding and Managing Absenteeism. https://www.shrm.org
- CIPD. (2023). Health and Well-being at Work 2023. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. https://www.cipd.org
- Kenton, W. (2024, May 29). Absenteeism. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/absenteeism.asp
