What Is Absenteeism? Definition & Causes

What is absenteeism?

Absenteeism means that an employee cannot work at times when this is expected according to the employment contract. Usually it involves sick leave due to physical or mental complaints. Absenteeism is often a signal that workload, capacity or support are not well aligned. It can range from short absences of a few days to prolonged absences that require intensive support.

Why is reducing absenteeism important?

Absenteeism has a major impact on employees, teams and the organization. For the employee, it means that health or work capacity is under pressure. Colleagues get extra work and scheduling becomes more complex. For the organization, costs increase and continuity comes under pressure. By reducing absenteeism you protect wellbeing, retain knowledge and prevent temporary absences from becoming structural. Prevention always pays off more than reacting afterwards.

How do you reduce absenteeism?

Reducing absenteeism starts by recognizing signals before someone drops out. Measure workload, energy, recovery and support to see where risks arise. Have targeted conversations at team level, give managers tools to recognize signals and make clear agreements about expectations and support. More important than recording absenteeism figures is creating a culture where people dare to ask for help before they get stuck.

Can you measure absenteeism risks?

Yes, absenteeism risks can be measured well through targeted questionnaires that look at the causes behind absences. With the Deepler module you measure factors such as workload, energy, recovery, leadership support and team dynamics. You see not only where absenteeism is high, but also why and which teams need preventive attention. That provides concrete starting points for prevention and early warning.

Larren

Recruitment Lead,

De Selectie

“Recently, I used Deepler to arrive at an EVP. Great what they were able to achieve in a short time! In a period of two weeks, we collected information and were able to continue with our AMC plan. In any other situation, it takes weeks, if not months, to get this done. Contact is good, friendly and constructive. Very nice club to work with.”
Douwe

Recruiter,

Securitas

“Ideal tool and company to gain more and better insight into the organization and employees as an organization! And especially with speed! For us, it was also the need to get tools for the topics of retention, to prevent future absenteeism or turnover. I also have experience with other parties and I sincerely value the speed of switching, follow-up and personal contact with Deepler. Absolutely recommended.”
Jolanda

HR Business Partner,

Nedcargo

“Deepler is a great tool for continuously collecting feedback from our employees. This input is then centrally available for us as management, but also for managers who benefit from it.”
Jonathan

Manager,

UWV

“What makes Deepler special is that it doesn’t get stuck in numbers. It helps you immediately understand where it is and what teams need. For us, this ensured that employees themselves came up with areas for improvement and took responsibility for them. The insights were sharp and useful, but most importantly: the conversation that started afterwards made the difference. Thanks to Deepler, we didn’t get a paper plan, but change that was supported by the people themselves.”
Amadeus

COO,

OSRE

“The software has a positive impact on us as a rapidly growing organization. By better understanding what is going on in the workplace and what people offer as solutions for improvements, we can make more effective decisions. The platform helps us to gain real-time insight and to respond directly to it via the tool.”