HR Glossary
Absence Trends
Absence Trends
Understanding why employees are off work, how often and for how long is vital for any organisation. But data on individual absences only tells part of the story. When you start to see and analyse patterns emerging across your workforce, you’re dealing with absence trends – key insights that can help you make informed decisions, improve employee wellbeing and manage costs.
What Are Absence Trends?
Absence trends refer to recurring patterns in how and when employees are absent from work. These patterns may be visible across a department, location, or the entire organisation. Rather than looking at one-off absences in isolation, absence trends offer a broader view that can reveal root causes, cultural issues or operational stress points.
By analysing these trends, HR leaders and line managers can move from reactive absence management to proactive workforce planning and wellbeing support.
Examples of Absence Trends
Absence trends can take many forms. Below are some of the most common patterns that organisations observe:
1. Seasonal Spikes in Absence
Absences often increase during particular times of year such as in winter, when colds, flu and seasonal affective disorders are more common - - -or around Christmas, when family and mental health pressures may rise. Summer may see a different spike, often linked to childcare pressures or stress-related burnout.
2. Recurring Days or Patterns
Some organisations notice higher levels of sickness absence on Mondays or Fridays, which can sometimes indicate morale or engagement issues. Regular absence following annual leave might also flag underlying problems with workload or stress.
3. Types of Absence
Tracking the most common reasons for absence, such as musculoskeletal issues, mental health concerns or short-term illness, helps organisations tailor support programmes or interventions. For example, a rise in stress-related absences may point to broader cultural or workload concerns.
4. Frequency and Duration
Some employees may be absent frequently but for short periods; others may take fewer absences but stay off work for longer. Identifying these patterns helps distinguish between short-term and long-term absence challenges, each of which requires a different management approach.
5. Department or Location-Based Trends
Trends might be more prominent in specific teams, departments or sites, indicating issues such as poor management practices, unsafe working environments or uneven workloads.
What Can Be Done with Absence Trend Data?
Once trends are identified, organisations can:
- Take proactive steps to reduce absence by improving workplace culture, offering mental health support, or enhancing ergonomic practices.
- Target interventions more precisely – for example, offering resilience training in teams where stress is rising, or reviewing management practices where engagement is low.
- Plan workforce needs more accurately, including temporary cover during peak absence periods.
- Inform health and wellbeing strategies to ensure the right support is available to the right people, at the right time.
- Strengthen compliance and risk management by identifying patterns that could point to health and safety risks or legal exposure.
How GoodShape Helps
GoodShape’s absence management software makes it easy to spot and act on absence trends. Through real-time data capture and powerful reporting tools, you gain full visibility over how absence is affecting your organisation. Key features include:
- Detailed categorisation of absence reasons, enabling clear insight into physical and mental health trends.
- Time-based analysis, allowing you to see seasonal patterns or spikes around specific days or events.
- Team and department-level breakdowns, helping you spot localised issues before they escalate.
- Customisable dashboards and reports, putting actionable insights in front of the right stakeholders.
- Proactive alerts and signposting so employees receive the support they need, from occupational health referrals to EAP access, based on their absence history.
With GoodShape, you’re not just tracking time off. You’re uncovering the causes, predicting future challenges, and building a healthier, more resilient workforce.