DEVELOPING AN ABSENCE POLICY

DEVELOPING AN ABSENCE POLICY

Many small business owners do not establish
absenteeism policies for their companies. Some owners
have only a few employees, and do not feel that it
is worth the trouble. Others operate businesses in
which ‘‘sick pay’’ is not provided to employees.
Workers in such firms thus have a significant incentive
to show up for work; if they do not, their paycheck
suffers. And others simply feel that absenteeism
is not a significant problem, so they see no need to
institute new policies or make any changes to the few
existing rules that might already be in place.
But many small business consultants counsel entrepreneurs
and business owners to consider establishing
formal written policies that mesh with state and
federal laws. Written policies can give employers
added legal protection from employees who have
been fired or disciplined for excessive absenteeism,
provided that those policies explicitly state the allowable
number of absences, the consequences of excessive
absenteeism, and other relevant aspects of the
policy.


Moreover, noted The SOHO Guidebook, ‘‘a
formal, detailed policy that addresses absences, tardiness,
failure to call in, and leaving early can serve to
prevent misconceptions about acceptable behavior,
inconsistent discipline, complaints of favoritism, morale
problems, and charges of illegal discrimination.
General statements that excessive absenteeism will be
a cause for discipline may be insufficient and may
lead to problems.’’
Other steps that have been touted as effective in
reducing absenteeism concern making changes in
company culture and policy. CCH Incorporated, for
instance, has noted that workplace flexibility can dramatically
cut incidents of unscheduled absenteeism.
Many small businesses that have introduced flextime,
compressed work weeks, job sharing, and telecommuting
options to their workforce have seen absenteeism
fall significantly, for these policies provide
employees with much greater leeway to strike a balance
between office and home that works for them
(and the employer).