

When it comes to employee attendance, many small business owners choose to look the other way. Employees come in late or call out unexpectedly (or worse, don’t show up at all) … but you’ve got more important things to do.
Guess what? Employee absenteeism is a bigger deal than you might think.
A publication from Circadian, Absenteeism: The Bottom-Line Killer, reports that unscheduled absenteeism costs roughly $3,600 a year for each hourly worker and $2,650 each year for salaried employees. And for businesses’ feeling the damaging effects of excessive absenteeism, an attendance policy is the first step to regaining control.
Crafting an attendance policy from scratch can be daunting, due to all the important details you must cover. To get started, focus on the basics. At a minimum, your attendance policy should address:
Once you’ve crafted a policy, you’ll need to share it with every employee. Get signed acknowledgment and store the sign-off in the employee’s personnel file. This will send a message to staff that you’re serious about attendance and will deal appropriately with those who break the rules.
Review your policy periodically and update it as necessary. When you make changes, redistribute and have employees sign and date.
A formal attendance policy is the first step in controlling absenteeism, but there’s more you can do. Check out The Five Hidden Causes of Employee Absenteeism – and What You Can Do About Them. This free, on-demand webinar presents other ways you can improve attendance, and in turn, increase productivity and engagement.
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