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7 Unique Ways to Boost Employee Attendance at Your Workplace

Employee attendance is more than just a metric; it’s a reflection of workplace health, engagement, and morale. Chronic absenteeism can disrupt workflow, strain resources, and ultimately affect your business’s bottom line. While traditional approaches like attendance incentives or stricter policies might work, they don’t address the root causes of absenteeism.

Let’s explore seven unique and effective strategies to boost employee attendance. These ideas go beyond the generic and delve into what truly fosters a motivated and present workforce.

Workplace attendance is a concern

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies began experimenting with different work models. Calling people to the office wasn’t the right way to go, as countries enforced lockdowns heavily. This led to companies shutting offices in different locations. However, mid and high-tier MNCs were losing money with zero employee presence in their offices. And so began the rise of complete Work From Home (WFH) and Hybrid work models.

However, by the end of 2022, the COVID-19 threat shrunk by a sizeable margin. And that led to organizations calling their distant employees back. As of now, a number of organizations offer a Hybrid work model as one of their perks. However, sometimes, workplace attendance gets the job done with better efficiency than other models. This doesn’t directly mean that WFH or Hybrid models are ineffective but only inefficient in certain industries and use cases.

Let’s take a look at the shortcomings of Hybrid and WFH models in the modern world:

Employees engaged in a Hybrid or WFH work model often suffer from poor team dynamics as they’ve hardly had a chance to work with them.
Remote working employees also suffer from employee isolation. This tends to reduce their willingness to work and their productivity.
Another challenge with Hybrid and WFH work models is the lack of access to resources. Not all employees may be granted access to the desired resources, resulting in delays and crossing deadlines.
Cybersecurity may be compromised for a completely online workforce. While there are ways to patch security risks and gaps, the threat of data theft and server breaches still stands true.

The aforementioned challenges highlight the shortcomings of having a Hybrid or complete WFH work model. And now that we know about them, let’s take a look at the ways through which employee attendance can be boosted at different workplaces.

Ways to boost employee attendance at your workplace

Here’s how you can get more employees to join your physical office space and contribute towards organizational goals more effectively:

1. Reconfigure workplace flexibility

The modern workforce thrives on autonomy and flexibility. Offering flexible schedules or remote work options can significantly reduce absenteeism.

Here’s how it works:

1. Custom schedules: A good practice would be to allow employees to choose their working hours within a set framework. For example, an employee might prefer working 7 AM to 3 PM instead of the standard 9-to-5.
2. Outcome-based work: Employers often focus on the hours rather than the objectives. Shift focus from hours worked to tasks completed. This approach motivates employees to meet deadlines and be accountable without the need for micromanagement.

2. Cultivate a culture of belonging

Employees are more likely to show up consistently when they feel valued and part of a supportive community. A positive culture boosts employee engagement and morale, enabling a sense of belongingness within the organization, that’s what brings more people to the workplace.

Here are a few strategies you can employ to cultivate a positive work culture:

Team-building activities: Organize regular activities like workshops, volunteer days, or even casual team lunches.
Recognition programs: You should always acknowledge employees’ efforts publicly, whether it’s through a “star of the month” initiative or personalized thank-you notes.
Employee resource groups (ERGs): Foster inclusivity by creating groups centered around shared interests or identities. Casual discussions on shared interests are a good addition.

3. Optimize workplace dining options

Surprisingly, food plays a big role in boosting employee attendance. Unhealthy or uninspiring meal options can lower energy levels and morale, while thoughtful dining solutions can enhance both. Employees these days often decide to work for an organization that serves healthy food.

Here’s how to implement efficient workplace dining solutions:

Offer healthy choices: Provide access to nutritious meals that energize employees throughout the day. Avoid hiring fast food vending services that compromise employee health and morale in the long run.
Smart dining solutions: Introduce innovative options like smart fridges stocked with fresh, pre-portioned meals. Mobile applications for pre-ordering, inventory tracking, and calorie tracking can be implemented as well. Pick-and-go stations are a good addition, too.
Accommodate dining preferences: Consider dietary needs and preferences, such as vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options, as you’ll have a diverse workforce with different needs. Just find a balance between the number and types of recipes on offer and the per-day servings, as you would not want to let food go to waste.

4. Address mental health issues and establish work-life balance

Mental health is one of the leading factors affecting workplace attendance today. Employers need to actively support employees in managing their mental well-being. There’s no point expecting employees to show up at the office and work at peak efficiency while they’re suffering mentally. Workplace stresses are plenty, and allowing them to be mixed up with personal ones without identification is detrimental to the employee and the organization.

Here’s what you can do to address employees’ mental health issues:

Mental health days: Allow employees to take designated days off to recharge without stigma. There’s no harm in giving a short break after a heavy project or extreme monotony.
On-site counseling: Partner with therapists or offer access to virtual counseling services. Employers often neglect counselor assistance as it saves them money, so avoid doing so for your employees.
Workshops and training: Host sessions on stress management, mindfulness, and resilience-building. Help your employees establish a work-life balance that actually works.

5. Redesign workspaces for comfort and productivity

The physical workspace significantly impacts employee attendance. A cluttered, uncomfortable, or uninspiring environment can demotivate employees and contribute to absenteeism. The best way to boost employee attendance is to present them with a creative and captivating office space.

Ditch the generic greys and blues for wall colors and hire part-time artists to decorate the workplace with good artwork. Sometimes, minimalism has to be curbed as patterns and colors induce a sense of calm in people.

Here are a few enhancements to consider:

Ergonomic furniture: Invest in comfortable chairs, adjustable desks, and supportive seating arrangements. Creaky old office chairs need to go; stained carpets need to be cleaned.
Natural light and greenery: Maximize natural light and add indoor plants to create a calming atmosphere. It’ll keep the atmosphere fresh and clean for your employees.
Breakout zones: Create designated areas for relaxation, brainstorming, or informal meetings. Classic meeting room layouts are good for formal occasions, however, creating a smaller but creative space may do wonders for your workplace.

6. Wellness challenges with rewards can be a good addition

Inject some fun and healthy competition into the workplace by organizing wellness challenges. A simple internal challenge among employees will foster a healthy, competitive environment. Remember, these competitions are for health tracking only, not project numbers. Going the other way will only boost negative competition and may result in employees reducing collaboration.

Here are a few ideas for healthy challenges:

Step-tracking competitions: Employees can use apps to track their daily steps, with prizes for milestones. Weekly objectives can be defined with small rewards to encourage further participation.
Healthy habits bingo: You can create a bingo card with habits like drinking eight glasses of water, meditating, or taking the stairs.
Promote sleep-hour campaigns: Make sure to promote better sleep hygiene through workshops and incentives for achieving consistent sleep hours, six to eight hours are a must for everyone.

7. Redefine leadership and communication

A key driver of employee absenteeism is poor management and communication. Employees often feel disconnected or undervalued under ineffective leadership. Employers have their share of organizational issues they must deal with daily. However, it must not blind them from discussing their employees’ issues. Communication establishes trust that eventually drives employees to work as a team.

Here’s how you can optimize leadership practices:

Transparent communication: Keep employees informed about organizational changes, goals, and challenges.
Open-door policy: Encourage employees to voice concerns or suggestions without fear of judgment. Treat their concerns with respect, even if they seem small. Remember, they’re not in your shoes yet, and they’re learning.
Personalized check-ins: Managers should regularly meet with team members to discuss workloads, goals, and any challenges they’re facing.

And that’s about it

Boosting employee attendance isn’t about creating a rigid or overbearing workplace. It’s about creating an environment where employees want to be present. A combination of flexibility, wellness, and genuine support improves attendance and enhances overall productivity and morale. We hope you’ve gone through the seven strategies listed above and created a workplace action plan. A good workplace is everyone’s right, employers included. It’s best to build one slowly rather than let the existing one run its course and degrade.