Is Absenteeism at Work Harmful to Your Career?

Absenteeism is a condition that has affected companies and professionals for decades. It causes many losses for both, so it must be combated.

What is absenteeism at work?

The practice is also known as absenteeism, of verb abstain, which according to the dictionary means to deprive oneself of the exercise of any function or right.

At work, absenteeism is represented by moments in which the employee is absent from work.

In an organization, it is common for employees to be absent for various reasons, however, both the company and the employee can be negatively affected by this practice.

When a worker misses work without justification, in addition to losing a day of work, this absence can influence when he or she receives vacation time.

The company, in turn, may experience delays in production, among other problems.

However, this is part of a company's routine, and depending on the degree, it does not hinder the organization's productivity and activities.

In absenteeism, this practice is very common and can bring many losses and negative consequences for both parties.

Workers have a habit of being absent from work, which can hinder their career, the company's development and relationships with other team members, for example.

It is important to highlight that the absenteeism It is not only related to the worker's absences, but also to delays, which is a very common practice in companies.

What are the main causes of absenteeism?

When looking for strategies to reduce absenteeism In the company, HR needs to identify what the causes are.

An employee may be absent or late for work for a variety of reasons, but when there is a habit, there may be a standard reason.

For example, the employee started to miss work or arrive late because he was not promoted or wants to be fired, this is very common.

Therefore, it is important that HR identifies the causes, as many can be resolved by the company itself.

See below some of the main causes of absenteeism at work.

1. Work overload

Work overload in itself is a cause of absenteeism, however, it can lead to other conditions that can cause the worker to develop absenteeism or even other conditions, such as Burnout.

In addition to being overloaded, the professional does not receive support or recognition, which ends up causing excessive stress.

As a result, he starts to miss work or arrive late to alleviate the heavy and excessive workload he has at the company.

2. Demotivation

An employee unmotivated does not produce and also has difficulty collaborating with the company's organizational culture, with the processes and is absent very easily.

Demotivation in the workplace can also occur for different reasons such as poor working conditions, overload, poor management and even personal problems.

3. Authoritarian management

A good leader can engage and motivate those he leads, in the same way, a bad leader can demotivate, withdraw and repress employees directly or indirectly.

One management authoritarian, which does not consider the subjective opinions of the professional is a great enhancer of absenteeism.

4. Health problems

In a company, it is common for employees to be absent for health-related reasons.

In fact, there is a specific group that is absent due to health problems caused by the company.

5. Stress

Stress can have many health consequences. A professional who works in a stressful environment is highly affected in different ways.

For example, your immunity decreases, increasing the emergence of new diseases.

In addition, he finds it difficult to maintain concentration and focus. It is also common for there to be conflicts within the team, which can lead to bigger problems.

6. Lack of professional development

When a professional feels that he is not developing professionally, he becomes very unmotivated.

Frustration ends up being reflected in absences, delays and procrastination of tasks.

These are just a few examples of the main causes of absenteeism. As we can see, most of the reasons are related.

For example, an authoritarian manager overloads a professional, which leaves him stressed and unmotivated.

As a result, he has health problems or some psychological condition that hinders his professional development and ultimately causes him to be absent from the company's working hours or even leave altogether.

Speaking of which, absenteeism has a strong link with turnover – the indicator of the turnover rate of professionals in a company.

A high turnover rate can be very costly for a company, indicating problems and causing losses.

Therefore, frequent absences must be noticed early, identified and dealt with, to prevent them from becoming common among workers and to also avoid turnover.

Types

In addition to there being different causes, there are also different types of absenteeism. There are countless reasons why an employee might be absent or arrive late for work.

Therefore, to make things easier, they can be divided into three main types. Learn about each of them below.

1. Excused absenteeism

In this case, the employee is absent but provides the company with a justification. Common examples of this type of absenteeism are absences to go to appointments, take exams or take leave.

Generally, the company is notified in advance, so it ends up having time to plan and reduce the impacts caused by the employee's absence.

2. Unjustified

This is a very common type of problem that can be very detrimental to the company's development. However, it can be resolved by the company.

Unjustified absenteeism is represented by absence without justification, that is, when the employee does not notify the company in advance, upon returning or, simply, ignores it and invents some excuse.

Obviously, unforeseen events happen, and this may be one of the reasons, but in this case, the employee is willing to justify it upon returning to work.

However, unjustified absences can occur due to lack of motivation and dissatisfaction with the company or work environment.

3. Presenteeism

This type is challenging for HR professionals, because the employee is not absent or arrives late to the company.

However, he is characterized by that worker who goes to work, but his performance is very low.

This can happen for different reasons, for example, health or family problems.

But there is also that character who is not satisfied with the work environment, however, he goes to the company so as not to be harmed, but he does not work directly, that is, he is partially present.

In this situation, it is difficult to detect the absenteeism, but it exists. One of the indicators is the low productivity of the employee.

How to calculate absenteeism?

In order for the problem to be solved efficiently, companies use a calculation to measure the absenteeism rate.

Based on the results, they can create strategies to reduce this problem among employees.

The calculation includes the total number of absences and delays and the number of days or hours worked by a company's employees.

The following formula is the most common used by HR:

(Number of employees X Number of absences and delays) ÷ (Total number of workers X total number of days worked) = absenteeism.

What negative impacts can absenteeism have on a career?

Absenteeism is a practice that can have many consequences for the company, such as a decrease in productivity and an increase in turnover.

However, it can also have negative impacts on the professional's life, so it is very important to identify and combat it.

To better understand the negative impacts that absenteeism has on a career, we need to go back to the root of the problem, that is, the causes of absenteeism.

When this condition is caused by stress, health problems, lack of professional development, work overload or lack of motivation, it can have many consequences for your career.

Furthermore, for the company as well, some of these problems can stay with you for years, even if you change jobs.

Therefore, the first step is to identify the cause and see with the company what the possibilities are for this problem to be resolved.

If the resolution of the problem depends solely on you, it is essential to look for ways to resolve it, and even hire professional help, if necessary.

In many cases, leaving the company can solve the problem, but the ideal is to try to fight it within the company, because depending on the problem, it can follow you throughout your career.

For example, if you don't know how to set limits and always say yes when you are given access to tasks, resulting in more obligations and activities than your workload and role would allow you to receive, this is a problem that can follow you wherever you go.

Another interesting example worth highlighting is about health problems that can cause absenteeism.

Does taking better care of your health solve or reduce this practice in your career? A healthy person leaves professionals who are not in good health at a great disadvantage.

They are able to perform their occupational activities better, delivering a better quality service, as they have greater ease in maintaining focus and concentration.

Furthermore, they contribute more to the company team, as they do not have to miss work as often to go to medical appointments, they have more energy and motivation, etc.

So, absenteeism brings many losses to the company, however, it can accompany a professional throughout their entire career.

Therefore, it must be identified and fought by both.

Conclusion

Absenteeism is a problem that affects organizations today. However, it can also have negative impacts on the career of any professional.

Therefore, it is very important to identify the causes and resolve them in the best way possible.

Make sure you set aside time to rest, take care of your health, learn to say no, keep your appointments with your psychologist up to date and also learn to communicate.

Failure to communicate can make the situation much worse. When you are not satisfied or have a problem, talk, try to negotiate, seek help.

Nara Sampaio

SEO writer, digital content creator, and virtual assistant. An introvert who found in writing a way to express herself and share knowledge!

March 27, 2023

Career