Absenteeism is the pattern of habitual or unplanned absence from work that goes beyond an employee's normal, authorised leave. Unlike approved annual or sick leave, it points to a recurring problem — whether disengagement, burnout, workplace issues, or health concerns — and tends to be measured as a rate across a team or organisation.

High absenteeism is costly. It disrupts schedules, shifts workload onto colleagues, and often signals deeper issues with wellbeing or management. HR teams track it using the absence rate and tools like the Bradford Factor, which weights frequent short absences more heavily, to identify where to intervene.

Tackling absenteeism starts with reliable data. Calamari's Time Off module records every absence consistently, turning scattered records into reports that reveal trends early — before they become a retention or productivity problem.