Employee absence is a natural part of any organisation, but without an effective absence management strategy, your efforts to maintain a productive workforce might feel like pouring water into a leaky bucket. The time, money, and effort you invest could be slipping away through the cracks, leaving your business struggling to stay afloat. Here’s how to recognise if your absence strategy is leaking, and what you can do to plug the gaps.
5 signs your absence strategy is a leaky bucket
1. You’re spending a lot but seeing little impact
Are you investing heavily in wellbeing initiatives or absence management tools but not seeing noticeable improvements? This could be a sign that your efforts aren’t reaching the areas where they’re most needed. Without tracking absence trends or evaluating the effectiveness of your initiatives, it’s impossible to know if your investment is paying off.
How to fix it: Use real-time data to monitor absence patterns and assess the impact of your initiatives. GoodShape’s absence management platform can help you identify gaps and adjust your strategy to achieve better results, and our GoodShapeNavigator add-on tracks the status and outcomes of referrals to treatment services (such as Occupational Health) to streamline processes, facilitate early intervention, and measure impact.
2. Absence trends go unnoticed
If recurring patterns like seasonal spikes in stress-related absences aren’t being identified or addressed, you’re missing opportunities to intervene early. Over time, unaddressed employee health needs can lead to higher costs, longer recovery times, and a disengaged workforce.
How to fix it: Proactively track your absence data. With GoodShape’s core SaaS platform, GoodShapeCentral, you can spot trends like common reasons for absence or manager compliance issues in real time, making it easier to intervene before problems escalate.
3. Low engagement with wellbeing resources
Do your employees know what support is available to them? If uptake on wellbeing programmes is low, it could mean your communication strategy is falling short. Employees may also feel the resources provided don’t meet their needs, leaving them unsupported.
How to fix it: Ensure employees are aware of all the health and wellbeing services that your organisation provides, whether in house or through third-party suppliers. GoodShape offers an easy way to add services to your personalised wellbeing service directory on our app or browser platforms, and our proprietary absence reporting service also signposts employees to relevant services as soon as they're unwell. Plus, via our app or browser platforms, employees can access a free library of self-care wellbeing advice at the tips of their fingertips to help them take control over their health and return to work quickly and safely.
4. Managers lack the tools to provide effective support
An absence strategy can quickly fall apart if managers aren’t equipped to handle employee absences effectively. Signs of this might include inconsistent absence reporting, lack of regular check-ins, or failure to provide timely support.
How to fix it: Provide managers with training and easy-to-use tools to track absences and support their teams. GoodShape’s platform offers a wealth of tools for via GoodShapeCentral, from dynamic return-to-work processes and referral management for managers, to insights into manager compliance for leadership teams, helping you ensure that absence policies are promptly and consistently applied.
5. Absenteeism feels out of control
If you’re noticing higher-than-average absence rates and don’t know where to start addressing them, your strategy likely isn’t working as intended. This can lead to more long-term absences, reduced productivity, and heavy costs for your business.
How to fix it: Take a proactive approach by using absence data to pinpoint problem areas. Whether it’s stress, illness, or disengagement, having the right data helps you implement targeted solutions. GoodShape's AI-powered forecasting tools help you to identify employees or teams at high risk of future absences so you can get ahead of the game.
Plugging the leaks with GoodShape
GoodShape’s comprehensive absence management solution is designed to help you close the gaps in your strategy and patch up your leaky bucket. From tailored daily care plans that support employees throughout their recovery to real-time absence tracking and reporting for line managers, HR teams and C-suite members, we provide all the tools you need to take control of absenteeism for good and save your organisation significant time and money.
Key features of the GoodShape service:
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Real-time data and customisable reporting: Track absence rates, reasons, trends, and manager compliance in real time to identify where your strategy needs improvement.
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Wellbeing support: Employees can access in-depth resources, including mental health workbooks and video content from experts, all available through the GoodShape App.
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Healthcare access: Further support your employees with our nurse callback service (available through our GoodShapeHealth offering), providing expert advice to help your people manage any health concerns.
Ready to fix your strategy?
If any of these issues sound familiar, it’s time to take action for the sake of your people and your bottom line. Book a demo with GoodShape today and see how we can help you build a more resilient workforce and reduce absenteeism effectively within your organisation.
