Controlling Absenteeism
When a service manager, technician or front-desk employee is absent, it costs you money.
That’s not all it costs. Absenteeism also inconveniences customers and other employees, potentially leading to bad word of mouth externally or low morale internally.
Absenteeism will never go away completely, but tire dealers can minimize it by following a few simple steps. Start by advising job applicants up front about the importance of regular attendance. Spell out attendance requirements for new employees, ideally in an employee handbook.
Also, review attendance requirements at employee meetings once or twice a year, or periodically circulate the attendance policy. Include attendance issues in performance evaluations and discuss acceptable and unacceptable attendance patterns.
Maintain accurate attendance records for your employees. If you must fire a worker for absenteeism, accurate records will protect you when the inevitable unemployment claim is filed. It’s also a good idea to track absenteeism for individual employees on a calendar that displays work schedules.
Some commonly used absence controls and standards include:
• Counseling after three or more absences in a six-month period.
• An oral warning after an additional absence the next month or three absences in the following months.
• If you see no improvement, follow the steps of a progressive disciplinary process: written warning, suspension and discharge.