tardiness to ghosting

Why won’t employees come to work when they are supposed to?!   

Managers have asked themselves this question, in frustration, for ages.  It seems simple enough, hire someone to do a job, give them the job description, done.  Simple, right?  Maybe not.  Workplaces are never quite that simple and whether we like it or not, there are a lot of contributing factors that could affect their teams.  Managing difficult employees, is, well, difficult.

 Factors from outside of the work environment will be brought into the workplace, factors of supply chain or product availability, personal life factors that affect the employee and their ability to come to work, factors of the public and how customers treat the employees and factors of leadership.

 Let’s look at tardiness, increased absenteeism and ghosting.

 In the last few years the number of job candidates that ghost their interviewer have increased. According to a recent Indeed survey “76 percent of employers have been ghosted by candidates, and 57 percent believe it's a growing trend.”   How to Stop Perpetuating ‘Ghosting’ Culture (shrm.org)

 The scenario of an applicant accepting a job, and not showing up for their job is no longer an uncommon event.  Why? The Society of Human Resources Management article “How to Stop Perpetuating Ghosting Culture”, discusses the responsibility of employers and hiring managers to commit to communication.   

 Candidates may be applying for jobs at a high volume and your call may be one of many.  For a hiring manager that is conducting a lot of interviews, it may be easy to forget the other candidates that you do not select.  Give what you want to get back.  Always follow up with candidates you do not select and be professional at all stages of the hiring process. This doesn’t guarantee that you will not be ghosted, but you will be 100% sure your side of the relationship is professional.

 Increased tardiness and absenteeism have resulted in companies re-examining their attendance policies.  Pre-pandemic attendance policies were strict with progressive discipline consequences for too many absences or too frequent tardies. 

 Now, if someone isn’t feeling well, we want them to take the day off and reduce the chance of them spreading the cold, flu or more to others in the workplace.  A strict attendance policy won’t encourage “just in case” call-offs.  Additionally, many states had COVID sick pay and leave orders in place that allowed for workers to take the time off for themselves or to care for others ill with COVID symptoms, or ill from vaccination symptoms without repercussion and often with pay. It was good to have the freedom, support to handle personal health and employees enjoy the ability to continue to do so.

 In the Forbes Advisor article “Attendance Policy Template 2023”, they discuss the merits of a flexible attendance policy and state that “flexible working hours actually boost employee productivity.” Attendance Policy Template 2023 – Forbes Advisor Having the flexibility to take care of yourself, your family, get to a doctor’s appointment or take a mental health day when you need it is an important factor for workers.  The Forbes Advisor article cites a study by Manpower Group Solutions, “nearly 40% of global candidates report that workplace flexibility is among the top three factors they consider.” Why Flexible Work Boosts Employee Productivity (forbes.com)

 Action steps:

• Set a requirement or create a checklist to ensure that all hiring managers have communicated outcomes with all candidates.  Add a section to your interview guide to capture the date/time/person who closed out that process.

• Review your attendance policies, consider a flexible attendance policy, consider loosening strict rules and allowing for your teams to be able to take care of their personal needs, within the scope of taking care of the business.

Not sure where to begin??  Let’s Talk!