You expect your employees to work hard and do their best at all times. However, sometimes, that is not the case.
There are problems that your employees encounter within the office and in their personal lives that affect their work. They become demotivated, they start slacking, their absences become more frequent. Eventually, they hand in their resignation.
These will harm the operations of your business. Being aware of the most common problems that employees face would enable you to manage them better.
Child and Elderly Care
Your employees have responsibilities at home, too. Often, this is a cause of stress that lead to absenteeism and resignation.
A member of your staff might have to skip a day or two of work when everyday arrangements fall through. Parents typically send their children to a reliable daycare during work hours, but there are cases when they need to stay home. Heavy snowfall, for example, may cause learning facilities to close, leaving parents no choice but to miss work.
Those who have elderly parents may also cause problems in attendance. If their loved one has fallen ill, they will miss work a few times until their parents got better.
These things are unavoidable and cannot be controlled. You can, however, help your employees to manage these problems by being more lenient. Be generous with giving leave of absences or offer flexible schedules.
By giving people the resources they need, they can better perform their tasks, and you can create a more positive relationship between management and team.
Illness
People, of course, get sick. When they get sick, they tend to miss work.
Illness is the most common cause of absenteeism. Each year, around fall and winter, thousands of adults catch the flu in the United States. The flu season can force an adult to be bound in bed from fever, coughs and colds, headaches, muscle aches, and other symptoms.
It will be more disastrous to call them back to the office.
Workplace Bullying and Harassment
Sometimes, the problem starts within the office. If an employee experiences bullying or harassment from their colleagues and their bosses, they may call in sick from work to avoid having to interact with the people who antagonize them. Absenteeism becomes frequent to victims of bullying and harassment in the office.
As the employer, providing a safe working environment is part of your role. You cannot monitor every member of your staff all the time. To discourage negative behaviors, make it easier for victims to stand up and report bullies and harassers. Make it clear that bullying and harassment are not welcome in the office.
Burnout
Having heavy workloads, to the point that your team has to work until late at night and on weekends, is not sustainable. Eventually, your employees will need to rest. If you do not allow them time outside of work to relax, clear their minds, and do other things they enjoy, then they will experience burnout.
Burnout is a problem. It leads to employees feeling disheartened and losing their motivation to work.
However, it can be prevented. Evaluate how the company is treating its employees. Call a meeting and talk to your team. Ask them what changes you can implement to make their workload more manageable. Moreover, you should encourage everyone to have a healthy work-life balance. Allow them to go home on time so that they can be with their families.
Your employees’ problems are your problems, too. No matter how many times you ask everyone to leave their problems at the door, these issues will always affect their performance at work.
