Dealing with employee absenteeism is an ever-present problem for some business managers. This issue should be addressed in your employee manual, but you can take the following steps to improve compliance.

• Educate employees about your policy. Don’t just spell out the policy in writing – go over it with employees in face-to-face meetings.
• Keep close track of attendance and tardiness. Maintain a special ledger for this purpose so you refer to it when violations occur.
• Set up a one-on-one consultation with problem employees. Discuss the improvement that is expected of them. Don’t forget to keep a record of your meetings.
• Follow-up after meetings. Hold another session with the employee – whether it’s good or bad news. If the problem persists, contact your human resources department.
• Take corrective action when it is warranted. Most likely, this begins with a formal warning, to be followed by suspension and possibly even termination. Again, keep detailed records of all activities.

At Lewis, Hooper & Dick, LLC, we offer comprehensive services in human resources. Please contact David Lunzmann at (620)275-9267.

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