Pay Attention to the Writing on the Wall: Consequences of Ignoring Excessive Employee Absenteeism

Chronic employee absenteeism can certainly have negative consequences for employers and their businesses. It’s especially important to take notice: Nip this problem long before it escalates and causes everyone involved more headaches than necessary. 

Perhaps chronicling an employer and absent-employee experience will help illustrate my point: 

I know of an employer who hired a temporary employee. This temporary employee performed very well while in attendance and on the job. 

Although the employer was very pleased with this individual’s performance, the employee was also excessively absent from the job during the temporary assignment period. 

In spite of this, the employer decided to hire this individual on a regular basis. And the employee’s absenteeism rates continued to be excessive. During an eight-month period, this employee was absent about 30 days, which included being out and not reporting to work between one to two days per week. 

The employer continued to overlook the employee’s excessive absenteeism and just let it go. And no one really addressed the issue with the employee. 

Finally, the employer became very upset. An HR specialist was called in to oversee and handle a written counseling session; after which, the employee’s attendance improved for about the next six months. 

At the end of the six-month period, the employee’s excessive absenteeism resumed and escalated again. Now the employee was eligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and, since proper medical certification was provided to the employer, the leave was granted under FMLA. The individual was out for weeks at a time; then out for a month; then the employee came back and was out again for another couple of months. 

The consequences started to mount, because the employer did not submit the proper leave-of-absence paperwork on time when the employee went out on leave the last time. The employer really wanted to terminate this employee once FMLA had been exhausted and several additional weeks had passed, because of the excessive absenteeism, but due to the paperwork delay the individual’s medical certification was also delayed. 

Finally, the employee provided medical certification, which certified that the doctor could not release the employee to return to work. The employer was finally able to terminate the employee after having granted the full legally mandated leave. 

The point of this story is this: From the very beginning, when this employee was hired as a temporary worker, it was almost predictable how this employee would behave in the future. I always say, it’s kind of like getting married. If you are dating someone, and they have a certain quirk that is driving you to distraction, that behavior is probably only going to get worse after you marry. 

Employee absenteeism consequences can be avoided by addressing these issues right from the beginning. While it’s great to be flexible, nice and understanding, employers also want to take steps long before they’re ready to pull their hair out. 

It’s also important to pay attention and to enforce whatever rules or policies you have in place. As with any employee-related issues, I always encourage employers to consult with either an HR specialist or their legal counsel, because you can run into costly liability issues, as well.

Chronic employee absenteeism can certainly have negative consequences for employers and their businesses.