Absence Management Is More an Issue of Not Just Ignoring It

Absenteeism is a cost for almost all businesses (except perhaps in totalitarian regimes). Employees can be absent on authorized and scheduled leave to which they are entitled. At other times, they might take unscheduled leave, still within permitted limits. Yet other times, they might just absent themselves.
All the absences cost money. Authorized absences have to be paid for under the law. Unauthorized absences cause losses through disrupting business operations. Expensive capital equipment might not be operated as planned. Scheduled calls on prospective customers might not be made. Other employees might have to be paid overtime premiums to do the work of the absent employee. Even temporary workers might have to be inducted.
Because the phenomenon is so universal, and because there are so many other issues pressing for attention, businesses typically tend to take the costs of absenteeism in their stride. They might not even take the trouble to work out the full costs of employee absences.
Part of the absences will still be there. Under law, you have to give paid vacations and other kinds of leave to employees. Even here, if things are properly planned and scheduled, the costs to the business can be minimized. For example, employee vacations can be staggered so that a key position is always manned satisfactorily at all times.
Unscheduled and unauthorized absences need equally (if not more) systematic handling to minimize their impact.
How Do You Manage Absences?
You can control things only if you know exactly what is going on. So the starting point for absence management is to get a clear picture about absenteeism.