As an employer, you know your employees are going to miss days at work. Whether scheduled days off or unexpected illnesses, occasional absences are a normal part of the business. Fortunately, many if not most of these situations you will hear from the employee and know why they cannot make it in for work. That is unless it’s a no-call, no-show.
An employee absence qualifies as a no-call, no-show when they don’t let you know they aren’t going to make it into work and instead simply miss the shift without notice. Certain circumstances can excuse this, like a car accident or other major problem that leaves the employee unable to call. These are forgivable, but not all no-call, no-shows are. Here’s how to properly handle your no-call, no-show employees.
Be proactive – have a policy in place.
Before you even face the situation, you should have clear guidelines in your handbook. From these pages, an employee should learn about your attendance policies, how to call off a shift, and the process for scheduling paid time off, as well as the consequences of failing to follow these procedures. This way, when the no-call, no-show situation arises, you have everything in writing.
Make sure your employees know the policy.
This should go without saying, but a policy doesn’t do any good if you don’t make it known to your staff. Have them sign off on their handbooks to know they were received and periodically do reminders to keep them up to date.
Maintain consistency in your enforcement.
One of the easiest ways to show your staff you mean what the no-call, no-show policy says is to enforce it every time. Unless there were extenuating circumstances like an accident, hold every employee to the same standard to avoid whispers of favoritism. When you start to let things slide, your employees may start to see ways they can take advantage of the system.
Consider a new way to schedule.
If no-call, no-shows are becoming a problem, there could be bigger issues. Take time to listen to your team to see if something in your process is making things difficult for them. You don’t want to bend immediately to their thoughts, but they may offer something worth considering.
For some, you may just need to add more flexibility to your scheduling. There are apps that allow your workers to go right in and request time off, and some even permit self-scheduling. The ease of operations can help your employees get all the days they need. Another option is letting them work it out amongst themselves, meaning you give them the power to switch their shifts with co-workers, so when they need a day, they can take it and make sure their shift is still covered.
An employment agency with you in mind.
When you’re looking for a new team member, you want more than to fill a void. At Workbox Staffing, we’re dedicated to finding you the right candidates in a less stressful and faster way. Find a location near you to get started today!
