Points Programs

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Reduce Employee Absenteeism in the Workplace

When it comes to attendance-is your organization handing out carrots or demerits? It is common for companies to give employees points each time they are absent with a maximum points allowed within a calendar year. Alternatively, some organizations are finding that by changing the nature of the work environment and introducing staff awards, absenteeism is no longer an issue. Providing employees with more than just a paycheck is what keeps them coming back to you day in and day out.

Stefani Yorges, Ph.D. shed some light on employee absenteeism statistics in an article featured on About.com. Absenteeism has been at an all time high since 1999 and research shows that nearly 66% of absent employees are not actually ill. A subsequent survey conducted in 2007 by CCH showed the reasons employees actually take unscheduled absences at work: 34% say it is due to personal illness while the remaining 66% reported other reasons such as family issues (22%), personal needs (18%), entitlement mentality (13%) and stress (13%).

Many clients of mine have reported that work-life, job training/sharing and wellness programs are very effective in combating employee absenteeism and in 2006, another survey by CCH confirmed this finding. Employee morale and engagement has an impact on absenteeism rates and by incorporating these kinds of incentive programs, you are sending a message to employees that you care about them, want them to be motivated at work and succeed in their careers.

Sandra Sunken echoes this advice in her article on reducing absenteeism in the workplace, “Let your employees know that you care about them. Stress and personal responsibilities are part of life for your employees. Let them know that you understand and appreciate their dedication.”

By implementing an employee award program you can engage employees and give them a consistent reason to come to work. The clients I have that develop job-related, employee health and wellness, training and other types of goals have witnessed their employees become more interested in work because their job is offering something more rewarding than money-recognition and rewards.

Susan Heathfield, Human Resources expert at About.com, sums it up well on her article on employee retention and absenteeism, “You can bet that work is about the money and almost every individual wants more.” By taking a proactive approach and introducing staff awards, you are not only helping to hand out carrots instead of demerits, but also you are increasing employee motivation and reducing absenteeism effectively.

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