Absence Metrics
Absence Hours
Definition: Total unplanned absence hours in a period — shifts missed due to illness, injury, or other unplanned leave.
Source field: absence_hours
Notes:
- Include only unplanned absences — sick leave, short-term disability, occupational injury
- Exclude planned leave (vacation, statutory holidays, approved leaves of absence)
- Exclude scheduled days off
- Agency hours used to backfill absences should be tracked in
agency_hours, not absence_hours
Displayed in: Overview, Metrics Explorer, Pulse Intelligence, Workforce Stress Indicators
Absence Rate
Definition: Unplanned absence hours as a percentage of scheduled hours.
Formula:
Absence Rate = (absence_hours ÷ scheduled_hours) × 100
- Below 3%: Low — healthy range
- 3–5%: Moderate — typical for most healthcare settings
- 5–8%: Elevated — above benchmark, warrants investigation
- Above 8%: High — associated with workforce stress, burnout, and attrition risk
Interpretation: Absence Rate is one of the most reliable early indicators of workforce health. A sustained increase over 60–90 days typically precedes a measurable increase in voluntary turnover.
Displayed in: Overview, Pulse Intelligence, Workforce Stress Indicators, Metrics Explorer
Absence Rate requires scheduled_hours to calculate. If scheduled hours are not in your data, Senzo cannot display this metric. Include scheduled hours in your upload template to enable absence rate tracking.
Absence Pattern Analysis
Senzo’s Workforce Stress Indicators section includes an Absence Pattern Analysis view that shows:
- 12-month trend lines for the top 5 highest-absence units
- A reference line at the warning threshold
- Units where absence has trended upward for 3+ consecutive months — flagged as sustained absence pressure
Why patterns matter more than point-in-time values: A single elevated month may reflect a flu season or isolated incident. Three consecutive months of increasing absence is a structural signal that warrants operational investigation.
Absence vs. other leave types
Senzo tracks unplanned absence only. Other leave types your payroll system may track:
| Leave type | Include in absence_hours? |
|---|
| Sick leave (unplanned) | ✅ Yes |
| Short-term disability | ✅ Yes |
| Occupational injury/WCB | ✅ Yes |
| Vacation | ❌ No |
| Statutory holiday | ❌ No |
| Approved leave of absence | ❌ No |
| Bereavement | ❌ No (discretionary) |
| Jury duty | ❌ No |
Absence and burnout risk
Absence rate is weighted at 25% of the Burnout Risk Index score. Research consistently shows that unplanned absence is an early indicator of:
- Workforce disengagement
- Burnout accumulation
- Impending voluntary turnover
Units with rising absence rates over 2–3 months should be examined alongside overtime rate and outflow data to assess compounding stress signals. See Burnout Risk Index for the full composite model.
