From “I ate cat food instead of tuna and was deathly ill” to “My llama is sick,” employees continue to get creative with their sick day excuses. According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 35% of workers admitted to calling in sick when they were perfectly fine. Some of the most absurd excuses included:
- “My pressure cooker exploded and scared my sister.”
- “I had to keep my hair appointment because my roots were showing.”
- “I wasn’t sick, but my llama was.”
Despite the rise of flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policies, more than 1 in 5 employers (22%) have fired an employee for using a fake sick excuse. And 67% of employers say they typically trust their employees, though 33% have checked up on them, with some even driving past their homes to verify the story.
While the occasional “mental health day” is becoming increasingly accepted, almost every small business still has one or two sick day misusers — those employees who call out a little too often, sometimes with stories that sound more like the plot to a sitcom rather than a legitimate reason.
Here’s How to Deal With Employees Calling in Sick Too Often
Not Sure How to Deal With an Employee Who Is Always Absent and Calling in Sick Too Much? Merge “Sick” Days With “Vacation” Days
To curb employees always calling in sick to work, a growing number of companies now allow employees a specified number of paid days off for any purpose—that is, both sick time and vacation time are considered the same thing and consolidated into one paid leave package. This is typically called Paid Time Off, or PTO for short.
By doing so, employers effectively reward employees who don’t have frequent illnesses and discourage employees from taking sick time when they’re not actually sick.
With such a policy in place, sick-day abusers may think twice before calling in because the absences cut into what could be their vacation. This is usually an effective way to deal with an employee who is always taking sick leave.
Doing Away With Voicemails Can Keep Employees From Calling in Sick Too Often
One of the ways employees calling in sick too often abuse sick time is if they don’t have to speak with a supervisor and can simply get out of work by firing off an email or leaving a groggy-toned voicemail.
With this being the case, employers should require workers, especially those whose attendance record is sub-par, to speak directly to an immediate supervisor when they call in sick. Do not let a sick employee call—no voicemail, no text—they must speak to someone.
Explore an Unlimited Vacation Policy, Get Rid of Sick Days for Part-Time Employees and Full Time Staff
It’s clear when employees can take days off from work, it leads to increased productivity. An unlimited vacation policy means your employees don’t have a bank of time to accrue or a set amount of days per year they can take off. Before you start worrying the policy could be abused, some companies found employees take the same amount of time off as they usually do after an unlimited vacation program was put into effect. It could be the makings of a very healthy workplace.
So, what’s the benefit of an unlimited policy? Increasing morale and building a culture of trust between you and your employees. Removing sick days for part-time employees and replacing them with vacation days encourages trust in your employees. Do the same for employees who are full time.
Relax Your Policies, It Can Reduce the Average Number of Sick Days per Employee
This one is a little counter-intuitive. But it’s possible that your strict sick-leave policy is actually having the reverse effect and causing employees to skip out on work instead of preventing unscheduled absenteeism.
Studies show the majority of workers who call in sick at the last minute do so for reasons other than physical illness, citing personal needs and stress as chief reasons for taking time off.
Workplace flexibility, on the other hand, has been shown to reduce worker stress. In other words, giving employees more freedom, so long as their share of work gets completed, makes staff more appreciative of the company and less likely to take advantage of paid leave policies, whether they are a part-time employee or full-time employee.
Employee Absence Checklist
Fill in this checklist to help update your employee handbook:
- Employees are allotted ____# of vacation days a year.
- On ____# of these vacation days employees will receive ___% of their pay.
- Employees are allotted ____ # of sick days a year.
- On ____# of these sick days employees will receive ___% of their pay.
- Employees [must] / [do not need to] provide a doctor’s note for sick days.
- Employees who work less than ____# hours a day must use a full vacation/sick day.
- Employees who work less than ___# hours a day must use a half vacation/sick day.
- Employees [must] / [do not need try to] find someone to cover for their shift at least ___# hours before the shift starts if they are going to be absent.
My Employees Keep Calling in Sick Too Often, Time To Talk
Okay, you’ve merged sick time with vacation time, done away with voicemails and boosted morale by increasing workplace flexibility, but there are still sick-day abusers at the company. There is such a thing as preventative care, but if the average number of sick days taken per employee is still high, or you have a select few employees calling in sick to work too often, it’s time to take them aside for a sit-down and let them know that you’ve noticed the days off.
Emily Dusablon, an advisor at Insperity, a provider of HR services, suggests asking employees whether there’s any reason, in particular, that is causing the absences.
“Maybe you’re not aware of an underlying condition,” Dusablon says. “Maybe the employee needs a schedule adjustment or accommodation based on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Don’t assume you know all the facts until you have talked with the employee.”
Make sure you familiarize yourself with both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
When It Comes to How to Deal With an Employee Who Is Always Sick, Know The Law
Before taking action on frequent absenteeism, employers should understand the legal landscape. While federal law doesn’t require paid sick leave, many states and cities do. For example, Connecticut mandates paid sick time for certain workers. If your small business has any employees, you should always check with your local laws to ensure compliance.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires covered employers (those with 50+ employees) to provide eligible workers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for serious health conditions or to care for a family member. Eligibility also requires the employee to have had 12 months of employment and 1,250 hours worked in the past year at your business. FMLA leave cannot be used as grounds for discipline, and employers must maintain health benefits during the leave.
Determining if an employee’s circumstances qualify them for such legal protections, or if employers are on the hook for paying them during sick leave, is typically where things get sticky. When addressing excessive absences, it’s critical to exclude legally protected leave from any disciplinary action. To avoid legal risk, employers should consult an employment attorney before withholding pay or firing an excessively absent employee.
