# What's the best way to reduce employee no-shows and last-minute call-outs?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">What's the best way to reduce employee no-shows and last-minute call-outs?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: about 2 months ago
- Author title: Account Manager
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

Hi, Kristie here with the Customer Care team at When I Work! I&#39;m happy to help address the best way to reduce employee no-shows and last minute call outs.

No-shows usually stem from a few fixable root causes: schedule uncertainty, poor communication, limited flexibility, and unclear consequences.

Publish schedules further in advance. At least two weeks out. This gives employees time to spot conflicts, arrange childcare, and request swaps before the day of — not the morning of. Using scheduling software to build and publish schedules faster makes this easier for both managers and employees. Automated shift reminders and schedule-change notifications can also help reduce accidental no-shows caused by miscommunication.

Make it easy to collect availability. When employees have clear expectations around availability requests and managers build schedules around that information, last-minute call-outs become far less common. Use an availability form or scheduling software that captures when employees prefer to work and when they are truly unavailable to work, with built-in restrictions for how far in advance employees must submit availability. 

Enable peer-to-peer shift swaps. When employees can post a shift for a coworker to pick up rather than calling out, coverage issues become much easier to solve. When I Work lets employees initiate swaps directly in the app for other eligible employees to claim, with manager approval required before the swap is finalized.
Enforce your attendance policy consistently. Make sure your policy defines what a no-call/no-show is and what happens — and apply it equally. Inconsistent enforcement signals the policy doesn&#39;t matter.

Track attendance patterns. Consistent tardiness, repeated absences on the same days, and frequent shift drops are easier to identify when scheduling and attendance data live in the same system, making attendance trends easier to spot.

Address patterns early. If an employee is repeatedly absent on the same days, address it directly and promptly. Often there&#39;s an underlying issue that can be resolved before it becomes chronic. 

The most effective approach combines clear policies, accurate availability, employee flexibility, and visibility into attendance patterns. Scheduling software can help by making schedules easier to communicate, simplifying shift coverage, and identifying problems before they become chronic.


##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: about 2 months ago




## Related Product
[When I Work](https://www.g2.com/products/when-i-work/reviews)

## Related Category
[Workforce Management](https://www.g2.com/categories/workforce-management)

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