How to Proactively Manage

Employee Absenteeism
Speaker: Shawn Sher
Tuesday, 29 August 2023 9 am
Introduction
• Late coming/tardiness issues
• Court of equality decision
• Best practices:
• Common misconception
• Law requirements
• High absenteeism during probation period
• Employee who ask or ask to WFH
• Issues on: EL, PIL, Mental Health
• MBO negotiation
Case study – absent for 2 days during WFH
• Context:
• The law not differentiate absenteeism either WFH or in the office by not
responding to the communications.
• Absent for more than 2 consecutive of work days without informing the
employer, he is breaching the contract.
• Company Policy is more closer to the employee.
• Court judgment:
• Reference to EA 15 (2)
• The claimant absent not more than 2 consecutive of work days.
• The company failed to provide documentation/justification and conduct DI
subsequently dismissed with just cause.
Case study – MC for 2 days and no comms
• Context:
• The claimant don’t inform the company within 48 hours
• The company could contact the claimant within 48 hours too
• Burden of proof is on the line manager
• Court judgment:
• Reference EA 15 (2)
• Unpaid leave or disciplinary action
• Early action/docs:
• Manager to contact and remind/warning
• After 2 or 3 times, manager to inform HR
• HR to provide tools to the manager in collecting proof – in writing
Managing absenteeism
• Manager request explanation immediately and recap with email (not cc
HR)
• Eg, you have been absent for today, why?
• Manager can:
• Contact directly and record via email
• Conduct counseling by manager and recap with email
• 1,2, and habitual – manager to remind or pre caution email (cc HR)
• 3 days & more – manager to inform HR immediately
• Report to HR for show cause letter and follow up with disciplinary action
Probation period
• Insert to the company policy in managing behaviour/absenteeism
during probationary period:
“The company reserve the right to not confirm the employee is he/she
absent for more than 10% of the total workdays (be it for reasons
connected to medical, emergency, unpaid leave)”
• If employee not accepting the confirmation, meaning deemed as
probation.
Request to WFH due to illness
• How it impact other request form other employees?
• Traditional SOP for discipline process originated by Henry Form Step 1
– 8 (borrowed by baseball steps) – no where process improvement
• Albert Einstein “insanity if we repeat the samething for the same
results”
• Focus on fixing the employees and not punishment
The 5 tools for line manager
• Talk to the employee
• Issue an explanation email
• Issues and email circular to your team, if involve many
• Issue a written reminder
• Issue a caution letter
• Become toxic – reach for HR
• Doesn’t matter your policy or act, the court say that you have
condone the situation/behaviour.
•MC entitlement destroy the culture of productivity.
•Std at 14 days n reward the if no/less utilisation.
•If sick n no mc but claim WFH. Not able to perform work as expected, deemed as absenteeism.
•
•If co don't want to observe adhoc ph, must add in the policy.
•Ph cannot substitute with AL.
•
•MBO
•1st step clarification letter with positive tone.
•2nd step response letter to employee with concern to performance.
•Sound empathy and sympathy.