PLEASE ELABORATE- THREE HUNDRED WORDS- TWO REFERENCE AND TWO INTEX CITATIONS:

Absenteeism can be very disruptive in the workforce, a finance office is no different. Everyday there are particular tasks that must be completed to make sure that funds are accounted for accordingly. In my office we pay bills, submit invoices, process payroll, process refunds, and the list goes on. Each person in the office has daily responsibilities that are specific to their job description/title. To allow for time away and for checks and balances, there are on average 2 people that can stand in for an expected or unexpected absence.

Unfortunately, whether an individual is out of the office planned or unplanned there is a great deal of stress that can be passed around to various members of the team. This can lead to falling behind while covering for the absent team member by concentrating on time sensitive tasks such as payroll. This situation is linked to conflict within an organization including lack of trust and low reliability (Black & Bright, 2019). Both directly affect work quality and office morale.

The question managers need to ask when someone shows a pattern of chronic absence, is why are they absent? The answer could be family issues, illness, emergencies or lack of motivation and job commitment (Kenton, 2025).

Because there are a wide variety of possibilities, it is important to find the cause for the absenteeism. Finding a way to open up conversation with the employee is the task at hand. The simplest way would be a performance review. I would recommend issuing a self-evaluation tool prior to the meeting to allow the staff time to reflect on a few key questions. Include a question linked to attendance. "I participate at work during my scheduled work days" with ratings of always, sometimes, or rarely. Or link a question to work satisfaction. "I am proud of the work I submit" always, sometimes, or rarely. Once you are in the meeting, you will have an opportunity to discuss differences in the ratings which will provide a space to identify and address the actual issue (Snell, 2022).

After you have discovered the reason, use the meeting to come up with a plan to address the problem and offer help (Wilkie, 2004). If it is an issue with child care on Tuesdays and Thursdays, come up with a schedule that allows for flexed time on those days so that the staff member doesn't have to miss the full day. If it is a health problem, help the employee by providing resources that might be useful in navigating their particular situation. If it is job satisfaction, create buy-in with new tasks that increase participation. And if it is a lack of understanding, find training that would provide the needed skills.

By addressing the actual problem instead of attacking the staff member's character, you have created an open line of communication and influenced the way the staff member received the critiques (Snell, 2022).

Another thought is to be proactive. Before there is a problem of absenteeism, implement training that demonstrates the effects absentees have on the office. This may seem unnecessary, but I think it might add to job commitment. The demonstration can emphasize the importance of the team and how individual tasks may seem mundane, but really they are essential to a productive day in the office. Further, promote work- life balance to avoid burnout or reward for attendance (Kenton, 2025). Each demonstrates the organization's perspective on showing up to work.