Top tips on tackling absence

Every year, darker mornings and colder weather lead to an increase in both the frequency of lateness and unauthorised absence. Some may expect these figures to reduce in today's economic climate, with many people concerned about keeping their jobs, yet this doesn't appear to be the case, says Tim Holden.

Let's start at the very beginning

When we tackle absence we start by determining the scale of the problem, and so in order to demonstrate how savings can be made we estimate the direct costs, indirect costs and time lost through lateness and absence.

Following this assessment, we ask questions around the causes:

• Are they job-related?




• Could a professional analysis of the job be worthwhile?




• How appropriate are the controls in place?




• Which team leaders or departments have the poorest records?