Absence Management

Absence management covers all steps required when a scheduled person cannot work a shift: recording the notification, assessing the staffing gap, finding a replacement, obtaining confirmation, and updating the schedule and, where necessary, the client.

In the security industry, this is not a minor issue. Sites are contractually required to be staffed around the clock, so an unstaffed post is not just an organizational inconvenience, but a potential breach of contract. At the same time, absences typically occur when the fewest administrative staff are working: in the evening, at night and on weekends.

The real effort rarely lies in planning, but in contacting people. Who is professionally qualified, who is available, whose rest period fits, and who will even answer the phone. Many companies work through this using call lists and WhatsApp groups, with the familiar side effect that no one can later prove who was contacted and when.

In software, good absence management consists of three parts: a rule-based shortlist, a staged approach to candidates and a complete record of the process.