Controlling
absenteeism has become a big
concern for companies all over the globe today.
Its causes are many but corrective measures can be implemented.
What is absenteeism and
can it be measured?
Absenteeism is traditionally defined as a specific
employee’s unavailability for work, when work is actually available for this
specific employee. Absenteeism can fall under 3 broad categories: legal (such
as public holidays), authorized (such as approved holidays) and unauthorized
(also referred to as casual absence). Unauthorized absence is what most
organizations strive to avoid and keep to a minimum.
“Absence measurement” is essential in order for management
to compare between individual absences and departmental absences. Measuring
absence is critical to identify the different patterns of employee absence and
target the variables affecting it.
There are various ways to measure absenteeism, the most
commonly used are the “lost time rate” formula and the “individual frequency”
formula.
Lost Time Rate= (Number of Working Days Lost /Total Number
of Working Days)* 100
Individual Frequency= (Number of Absent Employees/Average
Number of Employees)*100
Limitations do exist when trying to measure absenteeism,
whether with data collection or data correctness; thus, managers should be
alert to stay on top of such limitations and handle them with care and
accuracy.
Why Does Absence Occur?
Work absenteeism occurs for many reasons. Its causes are
mainly either personal or workplace related. The most common ones are the
following:
A) Personal:
·
Age: Proven research shows that older employees tend to be
absent less frequently than younger ones (as time stabilizes them in their jobs
and the thrill of an unauthorized day off no longer tempts them.) However, once
an older employee is actually absent - usually for sickness leaves - the period
of absenteeism is usually longer than that of a younger employee.
·
Gender: Women tend to be absent more frequently than men
usually, especially when they are responsible for the welfare of a family and
have variables beyond their control to contend with.
·
Seniority: If an employee has been with a company for a
long time, his/her absence level tends to become relatively lower. Fresh
employees by contrast, are usually tempted to benefit from an “unauthorized”
day off to relax and unwind.
·
Personal Attitude: Employees with solid work ethics value
the contribution they make to their companies and rarely allow themselves to
take unauthorized time off. On the other hand people with a poor work ethic
don’t frequently carry the same amount of responsibility and do not feel
obliged to show up to work every single day.
B) Workplace:
·
Job Stress: When a job is stressful, employees tend to
take unauthorized casual days off in order to reduce their stress levels and
get rid of tension.
·
Daily Job Routine: People with repetitive and monotonous
jobs tend to take advantage of a casual absence to break free from their
somewhat boring daily routine and engage in something more interesting for the
day.
·
Job Satisfaction: This is interrelated to daily job
routine. The more an employee is dissatisfied with his overall job functions,
the more he absentees himself from work.
What you, as a
company/manager, can DO about it:
·
Create a concise absence policy in order to bring down the
employee absenteeism level. Make sure your statement is simple and
straightforward before communicating it clearly across all organizational
levels.
·
Communicate the costs of absenteeism appropriately to your
department heads to make them aware of it being a serious issue that can not be
tolerated unless there is a valid reason.
·
Measure absenteeism regularly, monitor closely, and treat
all employees and management alike vis-à-vis absente eism.
·
Take into consideration that employees could sometimes
need to be absent “casually”, but commit yourself to digging deeper into the
reasons behind their casual absence.
·
Recognize regular and punctual attendance whenever
possible and reward it occasionally.
Sincerely,
Chris Wilkinson.
Certified Business
Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.
Business Coach.
Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga-CANADA).
