3 Steps To Stop Absence And Make People Happy At Work
By Alan Fairweather, Sat Dec 10th

If you're an employer or a manager then work place absence iscosting you money, inconvenience, and upsetting your customers.And as we all know, not all days taken off work are due togenuine sickness. Many employees "take a sickie" because theirmorale is low and they just don't like or can't do their work.

The challenge for employers and managers is to make peoplehappier at work. And if people are happy at work then they areless likely to take a day off every time they wake up with astuffy nose.

Some bosses think that paying more money, improving job securityor working conditions is the answer. It isn't and it's alsosomething that can be very hard to achieve.

People who employ or supervise other people need to become moretuned to their employees' emotional needs and find out whatreally motivates them. This is also much easier to achieve thanpaying more money or improving job security, however there is noquick fix. To reduce the amount of absence there are three stepsyou need to consider.

Firstly, pick the right person for the job. You need to getbetter at interviewing and selecting people.

Take more time over it;pay more attention to the applicant's

human side rather than their qualifications or experience. Getto know them better.

Find out what makes them happy, how well they get on with otherpeople and how much energy and enthusiasm they have. Make surethey know what they're getting into and be sure the job suitsthem.

Secondly, you need to believe in your people. If you'veinterviewed well and picked the right person for the job thenyou need to trust them to do that job. You need to constantlydemonstrate to your people that you trust and believe in them bywhat you say, your tone of voice and your body language.

If you believe that your people are not to be trusted, thatthey're unable to make a decision without checking with you.That they'll turn up late and go home early, then that's exactlywhat they'll do.

If on the other hand you believe that they'll do their job well,that they can be trusted to make decisions and they'll

give you a fair day's work, then it is more likely this is whatyou'll get.

As with all theories there is no guarantee that it will workevery time, however the majority of employees are reasonablepeople and if you treat them as such then they are more likelyto behave in a positive manner.

The third and probably the most important thing you can do toreduce abscence and motivate your people is to give themfeedback and coach them.

This is where so many employers and managers fall down indealing with their people; they're hopeless at giving feedback.Many managers are uncomfortable telling staff how they feelabout their work performance.

Most employees want to know how they are performing in theirjob; they want to know if they are doing it right or how theycould do it better.

If you really want to motivate your people then you need to givethem feedback on what they're doing well and what needsimprovement.

When you notice an employee doing something you do like, tellthem about it. When you notice something you don't like, tellthem about it.

Do it as soon as possible. Acknowledging a job well done is notmuch good six months later. Also, if you don't immediately callsomeone's attention to something you're not happy about, thenthey'll assume its okay. Either that or they'll think you didn'tnotice or you don't care.

Do it in private. Why is it some managers still feel its okay toreprimand someone in front of their colleagues? Even the mildestrebuke can have a negative effect on morale.

When you do speak to the person use "I" messages. Say thingslike "I liked the way you did that" or "I'm unhappy with the wayyour reports are always late and I'd like your views on why thisis."

Avoid "You" messages such as "You're doing great." That can comeacross as patronising or insincere. "You're doing that allwrong" may cause conflict, lower morale and may not sort theproblem.

Focus on one or two things. Don't run off a whole list ofattributes or misdemeanours. Also be specific about jobbehaviour, focus on what the person did or didn't do, don't makea personal attack.

Employees will feel happier if they perceive their employer ormanager as a reasonable and fair individual - someone who isquick to praise but also says when they're not happy aboutsomething.

The message is - if you want motivated staff then make theirwork interesting, give them feedback and give them the feelingthat they're involved in the business.

We can make the job more interesting by giving people moreresponsibility, assigning projects and by training anddeveloping them. We need to regularly give people feedback onhow they're doing; focussing on what they're doing well ratherthan on what is not so good. To meet their need to feel involvedwe should regularly communicate both formally and informally. Wecould also involve staff in meetings they might not normallyattend.

These steps will take time and thought however they'll make ahuge difference as to how employees feel about their work. Ifthey feel good and gain satisfaction from their work thenthey're less likely to find a reason to "take a sickie".

About the author:Alan Fairweather - The Motivation Doctor - is a professionalspeaker, author and business development expert. He is theauthor of four ebooks in the "How to get More Sales" series.Lots of practical actions you can take to build your businessand motivate your team.- To receive your free newsletter andfree ebooks, visit: http://www.howtogetmoresales.com