Absenteeism in the workplace

Whether an employee is missing for one day or one week, their absence can be stressful for the whole team. Any absence of a regular team member will mean more work for everyone else, and more work for you in managing that absence. Given the potential for an adverse effect on business, it’s important to tackle absences, for whatever reason, quickly and professionally.  

A costly business

Absenteeism from work has been estimated to cost the British economy up to £20 billion a year, with studies suggesting that, in normal times, different industries suffer with absence rates that range from two to five per cent of available work days. 

Alongside the financial impact, absent staff have an impact on team morale and the ability to effectively deliver the pharmacy service, while the generally unpredictable nature of employee absence can make contingency planning almost impossible, especially in the relatively small teams found in community pharmacies.

The absence of one employee can impact the productivity of the whole team, either because people struggle with unfamiliar tasks, or as a result of the stress and pressure covering for others puts on their own work. Over time, the repeated absence of a particular employee can create tension and loss of morale across the whole team. If possible, it needs to be nipped in the bud. 

First of all, though, a definition. Absenteeism is when an employee consistently does not turn up for work when they should. It can apply to full and part-time employees. A day off for an illness, or to deal with a family emergency, can happen to anyone; authorised and planned absences, such as holidays, paternity or maternity leave are part and parcel of a business and can be scheduled around. Absenteeism in the technical sense tends to be unsupported by an appropriate reason. 

Short-term absences, such as those one-off days taken to recover from a cough or cold, are inevitable and all members of staff should be prepared to cover for this eventuality, making it helpful for all members of a team to understand each other’s roles, so that essential areas of the business can continue to run smoothly. 

Long-term illness can be more straightforward to manage. A staff member needing surgery will have advance notice and an estimated convalescence time. And while a major illness or accident will not be expected, the period of absence will be more transparent so that the return can be planned. These types of situation, as well as authorised and planned absences, will require temporary reorganisation of staff schedules.