How to improve attendance at work? 7 strategies to implement in 2025
October 14, 2024
October 14, 2024
Is office attendance falling apart since hybrid work practices have come into play? You’re not the only one. Many organizations are still trying to adjust and improve attendance at work without going against employees’ expectations and new ways of working. But, absenteeism can affect your workforce and your business in various forms.
There are reasons why you’ve hired this or that person. Therefore, their absence impacts everyone and all aspects of your company, resulting in ineffective collaboration, low productivity, and poor workplace connection…. As our ways of working evolve, your office attendance strategies should change, too. Well-managed flexible work arrangements can be a powerful solution to boost employee attendance and other modern approaches.
Here are seven hacks for fostering good attendance at work: Create an office environment that matches today’s workforce.
How to improve attendance at work?
1. Understanding the reasons for poor attendance at work
So, you’ve noticed that your employees’ attendance isn’t what you expect, and you want to find solutions to improve it. The first step is to search why you register high(er) levels of absenteeism. Is it specific to a team, or does it affect the workforce? Have any changes could have caused this?
Before implementing new office attendance strategies, you must know what triggers this pattern. Do not make assumptions.
Talk with your team members, especially those who repeatedly miss work or ask to work from home more often than your hybrid work policy plans. From there, try to see if you notice common explanations. While verbal conversations are essential, we recommend you also send anonymous questionnaires, as some employees might feel more comfortable expressing their thoughts and being honest about why they are absent or reluctant to come on-site.
💜 Discover how deskbird helps you design your workforce's best hybrid work policy!
2. Making flexible work arrangements a norm
If you’ve noticed a rise in absenteeism since you’ve allowed hybrid work, making flexible work a norm might sound counterproductive. Yet, one of the core reasons employees are late at work, ask for a day off, or request to work from home is a lack of flexibility in their schedules. Enabling flexitime and hybrid work practices can solve many issues that cause poor attendance at work, such as struggling to integrate work and personal life, commuting daily, or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The key to a thriving, flexible work environment is structure. So, talk with your employees, analyze their pain points and needs, assess your expectations, and create a clear and well-structured flexible work policy. Like this, there is no longer room for doubts about attendance at work. Team members know when and where they are expected to work and what they are entitled to.
3. Improving employee experience and engagement
Employee experience and engagement have a massive effect on attendance. Team members who are happy and engaged with their jobs tend to be less absent than people who are unmotivated and satisfied at work.
If your staff work a lot from home and you would like to see them on-site more often, the office experience matters, too. They will also be more open to going to the office if they get along with their colleagues and are fully involved in their jobs.
A positive employee experience and a strong engagement naturally encourage team members to be less absent and more open to in-person collaboration. You know what to do! And if you don’t, read our 23 tips to improve employee engagement!
4. Fostering team bonding and a sense of belonging
Feeling part of a community and accountable is critical to your employees’ attendance at work. Work relationships affect your staff’s motivation and willingness to come on-site. If your team members have a great connection with their coworkers, enjoy working together, and lift each other, they are more eager to have good attendance at work.
When you’re part of a team with people you get along with, you think twice before being absent. If you have no connection with your colleagues, even with good work ethics, asking for a day off or requesting to work from home when it’s not planned is easier.
👋 Read our articles about belonging in the workplace and workplace community to learn how to enhance these key aspects.
5. Making your office space more attractive
In addition to all the office attendance strategies mentioned above, making your office attractive is also a great way to reduce poor attendance. Imagine if your workplace is well-designed, ergonomic, welcoming, and hosts events and activities; it becomes much more than just “the office place.”
This aspect should not be underestimated because today’s employees come on-site for collaboration and social interactions more than for task completion. The hybrid workplace statistics show that work can be done as effectively from home as in the office. So, you must create good reasons for your staff to come to the workplace. Here are nine ways to make your office more welcoming and boost attendance!
6. Creating trust and showing genuine support
Trust and support are two core pillars of a successful management style. Regarding employee attendance, they build solid foundations and a safe space for your team members to talk to you and open up.
Knowing what could prevent your staff from being on time or able to come to the office at all can help you approach the situation differently and find solutions together. For instance, implementing a flexible work schedule for people who have challenging family commitments shows understanding and trust. They are more likely to manage their responsibilities effectively and attend work consistently.
7. Designing and sharing a clear attendance policy
As you’ve started working on the roots of this lack of attendance in your workplace, you must also create a clear attendance policy. None of your employees and managers should be confused about what’s allowed and what is not, especially in a hybrid work environment. Such a document puts everyone on the same page and leaves no room for misinterpretation. Your attendance policy should:
- Define the difference between planned holidays, emergency leaves, days off, sick days, tardiness, and no-shows.
- Explain how employee attendance is tracked.
- Be inclusive, equal, and fair.
- Detail the steps to request time off.
- Have a guideline for unforeseen absences.
- Be clear about home vs. office attendance (attach your flexible/hybrid work policy).
- Include guidelines for managers to handle poor attendance and deal with this issue effectively.
- Mention and detail disciplinary action steps according to each situation.
🎬 Learn how we can support your hybrid work environment in this less than two-minute video about the features of the deskbird app!
Which challenges has hybrid work raised regarding office attendance?
Employee absenteeism isn’t a new issue to tackle. Yet, hybrid work practices have forced companies to review the definition of attendance at work.
Redefining office attendance
At the beginning of the hybrid era, some managers struggled with the idea that team members can be as productive at home as they are in the office. Not being able to see them working made them feel that they could potentially be chilling on the couch instead.
As years and studies have proven that working remotely doesn’t affect productivity, most businesses have now adopted hybrid work arrangements. So, for most organizations today, the classical idea of attendance no longer makes sense. You cannot have the same attendance rules in a hybrid work environment as in a traditional nine-to-five office setup.
For example, let's say your hybrid work policy requires your staff to come on-site two days a week but allows them to choose where to work the rest of the time. Giving a lower attendance score to people who decide to work from home the three remaining days of the week wouldn’t be right and fair.
Repurposing the role of the office
Hybrid teams come to the office less often than in a traditional work setup, so they have a different relationship with this place. A workplace that is not adapted to a hybrid workforce can significantly impact your staff’s physical attendance.
Why would they come on-site if their home office setup better meets their needs and makes them more productive? Why would they choose the office to do exactly the same tasks they can do at home? The office's role has changed with hybrid work, and you must consider this aspect to improve attendance at work.
Employees need a good reason to commute to the office. For most, collaborating with their colleagues in person, having social interactions, and reinforcing workplace connections are the main motivations for coming on-site more often. Therefore, repurposing your workspace in those directions is paramount.
Reinforcing the importance of trust in the workplace
We’ve mentioned the importance of trust in improving work attendance. But trust is even more vital in a hybrid work environment, as it fosters the flexibility and autonomy essential for this model.
Without a regular physical office presence, you must trust employees to manage their tasks and time responsibly, focusing on productivity rather than just attendance. This trust empowers workers, fostering accountability and motivation while making them feel more valued and supported. It also creates a safe space, promoting an open communication culture. Team members are more likely to voice personal constraints or request time off responsibly.
Training managers, sharing clear guidelines, and encouraging team bonding can help massively develop trust among your workforce.
👉 Learn more about the importance of trust in the workplace and how to foster it!
How does deskbird help you reinforce your office attendance strategies?
Building a tailored-made hybrid work policy directly via the deskbird app
How often can your employees work remotely? Is it clear to everyone? Can they work from anywhere, or do you require them to be in the office, at home, or in a coworking space? Your hybrid work policy must answer all these questions and align with your company’s values and culture.
We understand building the perfect policy can feel overwhelming. For this reason, deskbird makes it easy to create your hybrid work policy directly via the app. We guide you step-by-step so you can design the ideal policy for your organization and your team. Not only does it allow you to easily adjust it when necessary, but it also enables your employees to access it anywhere and at any time.
Improving your office space with data-driven decisions thanks to powerful analytics
We’ve mentioned the importance of adapting your office space to your hybrid team’s needs. But what does it mean? What should you change? What are your employees looking for when coming on-site?
deskbird provides a hybrid office calculator and clear analytics reports about how your office is used.
How many single desks do you really need? How many meeting spaces are used daily, and is it enough, or does your staff end up gathering in rooms that don’t have the right equipment to collaborate effectively? Our office analytics reports allow you to make data-driven decisions to restructure your space and create an employee-centric and thriving work environment.
💡 Check out our customers’ reviews to discover what other companies think about the deskbird app!
Elevating the office experience with a user-friendly and employee-centric app
Our features are designed to answer the needs of hybrid companies and employees, making the office experience a blast for all. Nothing is worse than coming to the workplace and not having a proper space to work or access the right equipment.
Our hybrid workspace management tool makes it simple for your staff to access the spaces and resources they need. Thanks to features like our “office event” and “interactive floor plan” functionalities, it also enhances collaboration and team bonding.
The best way to see how the deskbird app can turn your hybrid workspace into a thriving work environment is to start a free trial and discover each of those features yourself!
Fostering a supportive work environment and implementing flexible work arrangements are crucial strategies for improving attendance at work. However, prioritizing trust, encouraging open communication, and adopting technology to manage hybrid work models are also essential. deskbird offers an innovative solution for optimizing employee attendance and reducing absenteeism in modern workplaces.
To experience firsthand how our platform can revolutionize your workplace dynamics and support your attendance goals, request a free demo of the deskbird app today. Embrace the future of work with us and unlock your team's full potential in 2025!
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