Absenteeism policies are rules and outlines set by a company to incentivize taking fewer days off of work. It outlines and explains why an employee can miss work and the penalties and facilities they are subjected to. Not working or missing work reduces productivity drastically and is highly frowned upon. So unless it is necessary, employees are always discouraged from taking unnecessary leaves from work
Absenteeism policy is anything and everything related to attendance and tardiness. It includes company policies for sick days, leaves, and paid time off. Moreover, it also contains procedures and instructions for employees and the facilities and penalties they may receive for their actions. The best absenteeism policy encourages and incentivizes employees from taking unnecessary leave from work.
PTO means Paid Time Off. Paid time off is a set number of days in a year on which an employee may not attend work and still be paid for it. An employee may take a leave from work for many reasons, including sickness, doctor appointments, or even a family vacation. They will get paid for it even though they are not working as long as it is within the company's limits of the PTO set.
It makes PTO a valuable resource as employees will be encouraged to use PTOs wisely and effectively. On top of that, when employees use their PTOs, they will be more careful to maintain regular attendance so that they are not penalized for taking days off.
When an absenteeism policy is implementedin any workplace, it dramatically impacts the entire organization. It increases productivity and, at the same time, encourages employees to be more responsible. But for it to affect the workplace, it must be reminded periodically. Often people tend to lose focus and forget things. So the human resources department should hold monthly meetings to reinforce this policy and get everyone on the same page, including those who have gone astray.
Remember, at the end of the day, it is an office or an organization, not a prison. So making your employees feel acknowledged and cared for is crucial here. Instead of automatically calling it absenteeism and an attendance policy, it sounds less scary. Because at its core, the absenteeism policy is an attendance policy.
The policy should be outlined in detail, describing the following: