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www.ohiorestaurant.org 15 Spring Issue

Any restaurant operator will tell you that employee absenteeism is one of the biggest problems they face. Whether employees fail to properly read schedules, lack the commitment required of a trusted team member or face actual emergencies that infuence their availability, absenteeism in the foodservice industry is a long-standing problem.

As the restaurant industry has weathered the same economic downturn that has impacted the rest of the nation’s job markets, many operators have been forced to reduce the size of their staff. This translates to fewer people doing more work and having more responsibilities placed on their shoulders. Should an actual crisis arise, this means that operators will inevitably be short-staffed.

Preparing for absences

It is important to remember that even the best laid plans can go to waste. But if you follow certain procedures, and enforce them effectively and unilaterally, it creates an environment in which employees are less likely to gamble with their employment.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unplanned absences result in the loss of 2.8 million work days annually. The bureau estimates that this costs U.S. businesses approximately $74 billion each year – translating to a loss of 2 percent of payroll for employers.

In order to reduce the occurrence of these absences, employers should establish absence management policies. By implementing a consistent, fair method for gauging and evaluating employees’ behaviors, employees will understand that they will be subjected to a graded level of disciplinary action when they fail to perform to the standards established. At a time when employment opportunities remain difficult to find, the threat of job termination should motivate many employees to remain in-line with policies that are easy to follow and consistently applied.

Considering your

employee’s health and wellness

Restaurant operators must remember that in any industry that relies upon a trained and healthy staff, emergencies will arise that cause an employee to occasionally be absent. No one wants a member of their team to be coughing on customers or wiping a runny nose with the very hand that they use to wrap eating utensils in napkins. Not only is this unsanitary and could lead to greater infection among your team, your restaurant’s customers are not going to appreciate interacting with a sick person or having their food handled by someone whose ill.

It is important in cases such as this to remind employees that they should be cognizant of their health and contact you within a reasonable time frame in order to allow you to fnd another suitable team member to take their place either in the front-of-the-house operation or in the back-of-the-house. Don’t assume that just because an employee isn’t interacting with customers that they should be present. Germs passed in the back-of-the-house are just as dangerous as those that spread between front-of-the-house team members and customers.

Restaurant operators should also encourage their managers to be aware of the health of employees under their direction. If they witness a member of their team who does not seem to be healthy, it’s important that they encourage that person to go home and rest until they are healthy. When the employee feels better, managers should assist them in making up their missed hours in case the employee is worried about lost wages.

Utilizing automated tracking programs

Many large restaurant operations implement automated tracking programs that gauge how often employees are absent or late for their shifts. These programs can be beneficial, especially when a large segment of your team is young or less

committed to job security. Through the use of these programs, managers can rely upon the system to keep track of violations. Additionally, employees are less likely to view the manager as the “bad guy” when they are told that they need to be more committed to their job responsibilities.

These programs are also beneficial because a manager or operator can utilize them when terminating an employee for failing to adhere to the attendance policy as it was outlined upon their employment with the company. Employees that frequently fail to inform their employers of their absences often fail to realize the effect that this plays on the rest of the operation. Good employees are often forced to work harder and shoulder more responsibilities when absenteeism is a problem, and this can lead to problems with their performance, too.

Exercising fairness and consistency

No matter how well-trained or committed one’s staff is, a restaurant operator should never forget that there will be times when absences cannot be avoided. However, if you have a system in place that holds your team members accountable for their actions and rewards both good and bad behavior, you will fnd that more often than not your employees will follow the rules and be respectful.

It is very important for managers and operators alike to ensure that they treat all of their team members fairly and exercise consistent management tactics when evaluating staff absenteeism. If one team member is treated differently from the rest of the team, it will become apparent to all those present that the absentee policy is variable and, thus, ineffective. Sometimes no matter how much you want to avoid it, an employee will have to be terminated, but by documenting employee performance and keeping communication open, hopefully, this step may be avoided.