Employee problems are unavoidable in any company. It happens, and it will affect your company both in the short-term and long-term. Tardiness is one of those employee problems that can cost your company a lot of money. It’s been found that tardy employees cost businesses billions of dollars yearly in lost productivity.
However, tardiness is a complicated problem that requires some creativity to solve. As a business owner, you need to look at it from your employees’ perspective. Let’s start with the prime reason employees are late or absent: long commutes.
Long Commutes
It’s estimated that the average commute in the United States is around 27 minutes. That’s 27 minutes going to work from home. If you add the way back, that results in 54 minutes of commute time per day. That’s a lot of time, considering that most people work an 8-hour shift. They might save a lot of money using public transportation, but it can take time.
The obvious solution to this problem is to let your employees work from home. Working from home yields a lot of advantages to modern companies. First, it saves you money on office space and resources. It also increases employee productivity, but this is dependent on the employee. Lastly, it improves work-life balance for employees, which leads to fewer sick days and tardiness.
One creative and expensive way big companies deal with this is by buying a home for their employees. Disney has recently done this to reduce overall employee tardiness and absenteeism.
If buying a home isn’t an option, consider getting a property that your employees can rent. You can ask a mortgage lender to give you the necessary funds to purchase a rental property. You can then let your employees rent at a discounted rate. This way, they save on commute time, and you get the property as an investment.
Childcare Issues
Another reason why employees are late or absent is because of childcare issues. It’s not easy to find a good daycare, and it’s even harder to find one that’s affordable. According to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the average cost of full-time daycare is around $972 per month. That’s a lot of money for most families.
If you have employees with young children, then you need to be understanding of their situation. One way to help them is to offer on-site daycare. It can be a significant advantage for your company because it will attract more talented employees. Big companies like Google are doing it. Some small companies have started to do it too. It will also help with employee retention because they won’t have to worry about finding another daycare if they leave your company.
You can also offer a subsidy for employees who use daycare. This way, they can save money and feel more secure in their job.
Flexible Scheduling
One of the reasons employees are late is because they have a hard time balancing their work and personal life. It’s especially true for parents who have to take care of their children. By offering flexible scheduling, you can help your employees better balance their work and personal life.
Flexible scheduling means your employees can choose when they start and end their workday. As long as they put in their required hours, they can come and go as they please. It’s a great way to reduce tardiness because it allows employees to work around their schedules.
Discourage Overtime Work
Overtime work is one of the main reasons why employees are late the next day. The more time they spend working, the less time they have for themselves. This can lead to fatigue and, eventually, tardiness.
One way to discourage overtime work is to limit the number of hours your employees can work. You can also offer incentives for employees who don’t exceed their limit. For example, you can give them an extra day off or a bonus.
You should also encourage your employees to take vacations. It will help them relax and recharge. As a result, they’ll be less likely to be late or absent from work. You can encourage employees to take vacations by offering unlimited vacation days. Netflix has recently done this, and they’ve received a surge in employee productivity. Other companies have taken notice, and you should consider doing it too.
Tardiness is a big problem for businesses, but there are ways to solve it. By understanding your employees’ situation and offering solutions, you can help reduce tardiness in your company.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” he is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
