Absence rate measures the percentage of scheduled workdays that employees miss during a given time period. It turns individual call-offs and missed shifts into a single number that’s easier to track over time.

For frontline and manufacturing teams, absence rate helps quantify how often shifts start short, even when absences feel sporadic day to day.

For this context, absence rate includes unplanned absences, such as call-offs or no-shows, and excludes planned time off like vacation, holidays, or approved leave.

The absence rate is calculated using an absenteeism rate formula that divides total days absent by the total number of scheduled workdays, then multiplies the result by 100.

Formula:
Total Days Absent ÷ (Total Employees × Total Workdays) × 100

Example Absence Rate Calculation (Manufacturing)

Riverside Components is a mid-sized manufacturing facility running multiple shifts. Leadership wants to understand the absence rate for the month of March.

During that month:

• The facility averaged 180 hourly employees
• There were 22 scheduled workdays
• Employees missed a total of 275 scheduled workdays due to unplanned absences

Using the absence rate formula:

275 ÷ (180 × 22) × 100 = 6.94%

This means that roughly 7 out of every 100 scheduled workdays were missed during the month. While individual call-offs may seem isolated, the absence rate helps show how those missed shifts add up across the operation.

Start with a monthly view, then expand to quarterly once you’re comfortable with the numbers.

• Monthly calculations are best for spotting short-term patterns, such as certain shifts, weeks, or seasons where call-offs increase.
• Quarterly calculations help smooth out one-off spikes and show broader trends over time.

If you’re calculating absence rate for the first time, monthly is usually the easiest place to start.

Absence rate shows the share of scheduled workdays that were missed.

A single percentage doesn’t tell the whole story. What matters most is:

• How your absence rate compare month over month
• Whether certain shifts, teams, or time periods consistently trend higher
• If increases line up with overtime, coverage issues, or production delays

If your absence rate is higher than expected, it doesn’t automatically mean there’s a problem, but it does signal where it may be worth taking a closer look.

Absence rates vary based on shift structure, workforce size, and operational demands. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average unplanned absence rate in manufacturing is approximately 2.8%, though it varies by shift structure and workforce composition, according to our review of absenteeism statistics.
Across frontline teams using TeamSense, the average unplanned absence rate is approximately 1.53%, which provides a helpful reference point, not a universal standard.

There’s no single number that works for every operation, but many workforce and HR sources point to around 1.5% as a useful reference for a “good” absence rate percentage. That level generally reflects unavoidable absences, like normal illness.

What matters most isn’t hitting a perfect percentage, but understanding what’s normal for your operation and watching how your rate changes over time.

If your absence rate consistently rises and is above the national average, it’s usually a sign that something beyond routine illness may be driving call-offs, and that’s when it’s worth taking a closer look.

If your absence rate is trending up, the goal is to understand why before it becomes a daily disruption. Teams often start by:

• Tracking absence rate consistently to spot patterns early
• Reviewing when and where call-offs occur most often
• Improving communication around schedules and expectations
• Making it easier for employees to flag issues before a shift starts

Tools like TeamSense help teams move from measuring absence rate to acting on it, reducing last-minute coverage gaps and stabilizing operations over time.