Absenteeism costs American employers more than $225 billion per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Absenteeism refers to time away from work that isn't legitimately scheduled (like vacation days). Of course, employees can be away from the office for legitimate unplanned reasons, such as illness.
Some absences from work are perfectly natural and should perhaps even be encouraged. If someone comes down with a severe head cold, it may be best for them to rest up so they can recover more quickly. Further, they won't spread the bug to the rest of the staff. Sick employees may lose more than a quarter of their productivity.
But if a company's absentee rate exceeds industry norms, it is a bad sign.
Encouraging hand washing, regular exercise, and other basic health measures could help. Creating a company culture that promotes hard work could cut down on the number of healthy people skipping work.
It's also a good idea in many cases to reschedule responsibilities. If someone calls in work for the day, instead of shifting their responsibilities to someone else, put the work on pause, if possible. This reduces burdens on other employees and becomes a disincentive for skipping work to avoid getting the job done.