MINES Newsletter

Source: Copyright 2008© LRP Publications; Human Resource Executive Online Printer-friendly version Newsletter back issues Most workers take mental-health days or call out sick to take care of family or personal issues, but many time-off policies remain mired in the 1960s, when there were few dual-income households and less desire for work/life balance. HR should rethink how to effectively manage absenteeism.

Everyone needs a mental-health day once in a while to unwind or recharge. But so many employees today are calling in sick that bosses suspect there's more going on than an epidemic of flu and stomach viruses.

And they'd be right.

Another study also highlighted the impact that family and relationships have on this tide of corporate absenteeism.

Three in 10 workers surveyed recently by ComPsych Corp., a Chicago-based provider of employee-assistance programs, said they had taken a mental-health day for family and relationship reasons. The poll included 1,036 employees.

Twenty percent said they took off because of work stress; 15 percent cited personal issues; 12 percent, lack of physical energy; and 5 percent, lack of motivation.

There is "a definite increase in the stress people carry with them today," says Anita Madison, vice president of training and consulting for ComPsych.

"In the old days, people came to work as a stress reliever from home. ... As the years have gone by, the work pressures have increased and combined with the home, family and relationship pressures, so there isn't much of a valve for individuals to release," she says.

Why are workers calling in sick?

Many workers today are either dual-income couples, single parents, caregivers for aging parents, or two of the three. Sometimes, there just aren't enough hours in the day -- or days in the week -- to get everything done. Calling in sick when the kids are off school or Mom needs a ride to the doctor's office is sometimes the only option.

"It's not even so much lying. There are these other reasons that creep into employees' lives," says Brett Gorovski, an employment law analyst for CCH.

Yet most businesses have not adapted their absenteeism policies to accommodate workers who need time off for family and personal emergencies, says Ellen Kossek, a professor of labor and industrial relations at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.

"Many companies have policies from the '60s," she says. "They were created for ideal workers who saw the job as their main identity and responsibility during the work week. Today, more workers have things that compete for their time."

Someone who needs time off is viewed as "a defective worker," when absenteeism needs to be approached as a "total quality management" issue, Kossek says.

What can HR do?

The three most common methods HR uses to control absenteeism are disciplinary action, annual employee reviews and verification of illness, according to the CCH survey.

Yet, the most effective ways to manage absenteeism, according to the survey, are paid-leave banks and buy-back programs, as well as disciplinary action.

Paid-leave banks (also called paid-time-off or PTOs), which bundle together sick, personal and vacation days, have become increasingly popular.

But they do have a potential downside, Kossek says. Some workers are afraid to use the time for vacation or even personal illness because they might need it later for the family. One alternative, she says, is to provide "no-questions-asked" personal time that is not lumped into vacation time.

Some other suggestions for managing absenteeism are:

Know your workers' needs. Every workforce has its own demographic, with its own needs. "You need to look at your workforce. It's a benefit to every company to track absenteeism and analyze the trends," says Gorovski.

Improve communications. Educate employees to discuss their concerns with their supervisors and ask for time off in advance. "People have the need to take that time off, but [they have to] recognize their own accountability. ... They need to have a conversation with the boss," Madison says.

Flexible work schedules. There is a "disconnect" between what employees need and what employers are offering, Gorovski says. While the best work/life programs for reducing unscheduled absences are alternative-work arrangements, telecommuting and a compressed work week, according to the CCH survey, the most common work/life programs are employee-assistance plans, flu-shot programs and wellness programs.

"The 9-to-5 work week doesn't have to happen anymore," says Gorovski. "Employers are seeing the need for a flexible work week."

One option is to identify the time of the year when everyone is needed -- like the month before Christmas in retail -- and let workers self-manage their schedule the rest of the year, Kossek says.

"More surveys are showing flexibility is worth something to individuals. Rather than make the individual lie, let's change the system," she says.

About MINES & Associates

For over 25 years MINES & Associates has been a nationally recognized business psychology firm that provides a variety of services to corporate employers including employee assistance programs (EAP), managed mental healthcare, organizational development and psychology services, wellness programs, behavioral risk management, disease management, PPO services, and a number of other technology based services. MINES & Associates is divided into two main divisions, Organizational Psychology and Health Psychology, and currently serves a diverse portfolio of clients in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and the UK.

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