On-Premises Absenteeism

On-premises absenteeism is probably more costly than off-premises absenteeism and employee turnover costs combined.

What is on-premises absenteeism?

It's when employees are at work, but are not actually working, or they are accomplishing less than they should be accomplishing.

No, this isn't about "goofing off". Most employees want to do a good job. But, sometimes employers put roadblocks in the way of their employees.

One example involves lighting and furnishings. Problems in these areas often cause strains for people working with computers. For example, poor or incorrect lighting can result in computer operators having eye strain and headaches. Poor or incorrect furniture can result in repeditive stress injuries, sore backs and necks, and other aches and pains. Employees may be taking extra 10-15 minute breaks every hour to relieve unnecessary stress, aches and pains.

Another roadblock is inadequate training. I once worked for a company that, whenever they asked me to do something that involved my learning a new skill, they dropped the project (or hired an outside contractor) as soon as they learned some training was involved. Their policy was that employees needed to learn new skills off the clock. If an employer isn't willing to invest in upgrading employee skills, that employer can expect to pay the added costs of employees continuing to work using old, inefficient methods and skills.

A third common problem area is not having the right tools for the job. In this case the job takes longer to accomplish, the quality may be lower, and the employee may be exposed to a greater risk of injury. In many situations an employee may not know what the right tool is--they'll spend considerable time trying to figure out how to get the job done with the tools they have, and then use whatever tools are handy. Or they may spend a lot of time waiting for help, or just thinking about how to get the job done with the tools they have. If the job isn't done right, then more time will be lost in redoing the work and making corrections.

These are just three points to consider when evaluating on-premises absenteeism. In each of these examples employees are on the job, but they aren't getting the job done. Are you doing anything that prevents your employees from getting the job done?

In this article I've looked at these points just from the productivity view. However, there are safety and health implications to all of them. Improving productivity goes hand-in-hand with improving safety and health.