Which absenteeism figures should I monitor?
“To measure is to know”, as we often hear. And the same applies to absenteeism: if you don’t know how often, for how long and why employees are absent, it’s difficult to take effective action. So: analysing absence data is the solution. Right? Not quite. You only really ‘know’ something if you also know what you’re measuring. Find out below which absence figures exist and which ones you should monitor.
What are the different types of absence figures?
Before you decide which figures to monitor, you need to know what types there are.
Absenteeism rate: the number of days employees are absent in a given period divided by the number of available work days x 100. This rate provides insight into long-term absenteeism.
Absenteeism frequency: the number of reported absences during a given period, divided by the total number of employees –provides insight into short-term absenteeism.
Short-term absenteeism: the number of short absences (< 30 days).
Long-term absenteeism: the number of long absences (≥ 30 days).
Percentage of employees reporting sick: the number of employees (%) who were off sick at least once in a given period.
Percentage of employees not reporting sick: the number of employees (%) who were never off sick in a given period.
Why monitor absence rates?
Monitoring figures and analysing data: it’s not everyone’s favourite activity. We get that. Yet it’s important, because you need to measure in order to know what’s going on. To be specific, your absenteeism data helps you to:
Gain control over the absenteeism situation in your company
Spot patterns and thus identify risk factors
Take the right actions for your absenteeism situation
Save costs in the long run
Take effective action to promote your employees’ wellbeing and fitness for work
Which absence figures should I monitor?
The absence rate, absence frequency, and the percentage of absentees are the three most important parameters. Analyse them in unison to obtain a comprehensive picture of absenteeism in your company.
The absence rate is the proportion of your employees (expressed as a percentage) who are absent during a given period. This mainly charts long-term absence.
In the short term this number will not seem very usefull. For example, te percentage will be higher during flu season than during school holidays. As such, it is more representative to track the average absence rate over a longer period (e.g. a year). The average absence rate in Belgium is 6,3% ( resource: SD Worx Rapport ziekteverzuim in 2023).The absence frequency teaches you how often your employees report in sick on average. Divide the number of new notifications of absence during a certain period by your total number of employees. The absence frequency mainly reveals short-term absence.
A third interesting parameter is the percentage of absentees. To obtain this, divide the number of employees who were absent at least once during a certain period by your total number of employees. This figure tells you something about the absenteeism culture in your company: how many employees are absent sometimes, either short-term or long-term? You could also track the percentage of zero absence: the number of employees who were not absent during a certain period divided by your total number of employees.
Tip: absenteeism software
With absence management software such as TeamFlows, you can manage absenteeism within your organisation quickly and easily. As well as providing comprehensive tracking of various actions, such as meetings, it gives you real-time insight into your absence figures and the key absence indicators.
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Nathalie Vanaenrode
Absenteeism expert
Nathalie has many years of experience in assisting employers with absenteeism issues. She guides them from start to finish in their transition to a sustainable positive absenteeism policy. She also specialises in absenteeism statistics and trains managers and HR professionals in interpreting these figures and converting them into concrete actions.
More of Nathalie Vanaenrode:
Nathalie has many years of experience in assisting employers with absenteeism issues. She guides them from start to finish in their transition to a sustainable positive absenteeism policy. She also specialises in absenteeism statistics and trains managers and HR professionals in interpreting these figures and converting them into concrete actions.
More of Nathalie Vanaenrode:
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