🚨 Reducing Employee Call-Outs Systematically (Monday.com Employee + Attendance Tracking)
Today's guide shows you how to prevent your employees from frequently calling out, leaving you short-staffed.
Call-outs put a HUGE amount of pressure on the team. Ruin team morale. In many cases, it forces you to cover the shift yourself, rather than focusing on tasks like sales and marketing. The things that actually grow the business.
What is really bad is that your reliable employees take the brunt of this, which is entirely unfair. That is how you lose good people.
I'll walk you through a system that can reduce call-outs and ensure you have a strong virtual bench, allowing you to pick up the slack. It's based on proactive staffing, clear accountability, and consistent policy enforcement.
Chronic Absenteeism is Crushing You & Your Business
Here's what happens when you have attendance problems:
You become the backup for everything. Instead of growing your business, you're answering phones, cleaning units, or running service calls.
Your reliable employees start looking elsewhere. They're tired of covering for the same people who call out every Monday or Friday.
Customer service goes to hell. Appointments get missed, phones go unanswered, and your reputation suffers.
You fundamentally cannot grow a business like this. How can you grow when you can't even maintain your current day-to-day? The traditional approach is to fire people and hire new ones. But that's expensive, extremely time-consuming, and doesn't fix the root problem.
Use Cases by Industry
Here are some examples that I am sure many of us can relate to:
Property Management Companies
Maintenance techs are calling out, leaving properties without service
Leasing agents missing showings during busy season
Office staff absences are disrupting tenant communications
Home Service Businesses (HVAC, Plumbing, Cleaning)
Technicians calling out in the morning, leaving customers stranded
Cleaning crews are no-showing for scheduled appointments
Seasonal spikes in call-outs during busy periods
Vacation Rental Operators
Housekeeping staff calling out on the day of many guest turnovers
Maintenance staff are missing critical repair windows
Guest service reps are unavailable during check-in times
Local Service Businesses
Front desk staff leaving phones unattended
Service providers are missing client appointments
Administrative staff are disrupting billing and scheduling
Tool Requirements
Monday.com - Scheduling, attendance tracking, and documentation at $8/user/month (min 3 seats, Annual Billing)
Includes weekly shift schedule template
Built-in attendance tracking boards
Slack or WhatsApp - Quick team communication
Total cost: ~$160-200/month for a 20-person team
Step 1: Build Your Bench Before You Need It
You want to be overstaffed. 110% staffed in terms of availability. Not by your scheduled hours of availability.
Here's what to do:
Post "Now Hiring" ads constantly - Even when fully staffed
Use Facebook, Indeed, & Craigslist
Refresh posts weekly
Always be collecting applications
Block 15-20 minutes daily for quick virtual interviews
Use Calendly (Or similar) for scheduling
Keep interviews under 10 minutes
Focus on availability and reliability
Build an A/B/C list of qualified candidates
A-list: Ready to start immediately
B-list: Good but needs more training
C-list: Backup options
Maintain 110% staffing availability
If you need 100 hours covered, have 110 hours of available staff
Schedule your team at 90-95% of the desired hours
Leave room for people to pick up shifts
This works because when someone calls out (and they will), you have backup ready. Not hitting the panic button.
Step 2: Build Your Candidate Pipeline in Monday.com
You need a CRM to track and manage your recruitment pipeline. This ensures you don't forget anyone and can easily call in backup options when required.
Create a "Candidate Pipeline" board with these columns:
New Application
Phone Screen Scheduled
Phone Screen Complete
In-Person Interview Scheduled
Interview Complete - Interested
A-List (Ready to start immediately)
B-List (Good candidate, needs training)
C-List (Backup option)
Not a Fit
Hired
Add custom fields for each candidate:
Availability (days/times)
Desired hours per week
Position applying for
Phone number
Email
Skills/certifications
Notes from interviews
Set up automations:
Send text confirmations when interviews are scheduled
Alert the hiring manager when candidates move to the next stage
Auto-archive "Not a Fit" after 30 days
Tag candidates by position type for easy filtering
So when someone calls out, any manager can quickly filter by position and availability to find coverage from your pre-screened bench.
Step 3: Make Call-Outs Their Problem, Not Yours
This step is really interesting. It moves you and your managers from being the heroes who need to fix everything. New policy starting today: "If you're calling out, YOU find your coverage." This responsibility will take some time for your staff to adjust to. However, it forces them into a more uncomfortable position before they make that call. It is psychological.
People will ensure they find backups well in advance. For example, if we start to feel unwell, we will prepare that backup early. Not the morning off.
Implementation steps:
Create a team contact list
Include all employee phone numbers
Share via Monday.com or print copies
Have your virtual assistant admin update monthly
Set clear expectations during onboarding
Put it in writing
Have them sign the acknowledgment
Train your response
When they call: "Who did you get to cover?"
Don't offer solutions
Put the work back on them
Follow up in writing
Document every call-out
Note if they found coverage
Track patterns
Again, most people can sense themselves getting sick before it actually happens. This encourages proactive thinking rather than last-minute rushes.
Step 4: Implement Attendance Tracking
Create a simple scoring system that everyone can see:
The Attendance System:
Calling out sick = 1 point
Calling out WITH coverage = 0.5 points
Being late (5+ minutes) = 0.5 points
No call/no show = 3 points
Covering for someone = -1 point
Implementation in Monday.com:
Create an "Attendance Tracking" board
Set up columns for each month with scoring formulas:
Employee name
Call-outs (1 point each)
Call-outs with coverage (0.5 points)
Late arrivals (0.5 points)
No call/no shows (3 points)
Covered shifts (-1 point)
Monthly total (formula column)
Create a dashboard view that shows:
Current month leaderboard (sorted by score)
Attendance trends over time
Repeat offenders (filter for 3+ points)
Set automations:
Alert managers when someone hits 2.5 points
Auto-create warning documentation at threshold points
Monthly score reset with historical tracking
Share read-only dashboard access with the team for transparency.
Monthly consequences
Negative score = $50 bonus
Zero = Public recognition
1.5 points = Verbal warning
2.5 points = Written warning
3+ points = Final warning
5+ points = Termination
The key idea is that transparency drives accountability.
Step 5: Fix Root Causes
If your workplace culture sucks, nothing else matters.
Schedule Management:
Post schedules at least one week in advance
Use scheduling software for shift swaps
Allow employees to set availability preferences
Honor time-off requests when possible
Recognition and Rewards:
Monthly perfect attendance recognition
Quarterly attendance bonuses
Small perks (gift cards, preferred parking)
Advancement opportunities for reliable staff
Consistent Enforcement:
Every manager follows the same rules
No favorites or exceptions
Document all incidents
Regular manager alignment meetings
Work Environment:
Address legitimate concerns quickly
Fix equipment and workspace issues
Provide necessary training
Create clear career paths
Step 6: The Three-Strike System
Clear, consistent consequences are non-negotiable.
Strike 1: Verbal Warning
Private conversation
Document in employee file
Set clear expectations
Offer support if needed
Strike 2: Written Warning
Formal documentation
Employee signs acknowledgment
Create an improvement plan
Set a 30-day review
Strike 3: Final Warning
Include termination notice
Last chance agreement
Daily check-ins required
Zero tolerance going forward
Strike 4: Termination
Follow through immediately
No exceptions
Use documentation for unemployment claims
Communicate with the team professionally
The Bottom Line
Absenteeism is fixable. It just requires systematic change.
Just start with these three changes:
Always be recruiting (build your virtual bench)
Make employees find their own coverage
Track attendance publicly with consequences
These alone will begin to reduce your call-outs.
This is a very touchy topic because obviously, people run into unforeseen situations and have valid reasons. But you're running a business, not a charity. Having standards isn't mean. It's necessary for this whole thing to work.
At the end of the day, it is undeniable that businesses that win in the long term have teams that consistently show up. There is no denying that.
As always, hand this guide to your virtual assistant. They can start building out & managing this recruitment and employee tracking process in your business.
Anyway, I hope this is thought-provoking!
Contact Us - Virtual Assistant Support (South America, Egypt, Asia)
Our VAs work with property managers, home service companies, and local service businesses to build reliable staffing, teams, and systematic operations.
The team will set up your tracking systems, manage job postings, oversee your recruitment pipeline, handle employee screening & interviews, and perform contract work and daily administrative tasks required for this system to run smoothly.
Check us out: https://www.csoutsource.com/why-cs-outsource/
Link to Virtual Assistant Resource Hub: https://csoutsource.notion.site/Virtual-Assistant-Resource-Library-by-CS-Outsource-4fd480e31bc443db957e85efafaf4e9c?source=copy_link