12/5/2013

Absenteeism( )

By

Prabhashini Wijewantha
Department of Human Resource Management
Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies
University of Kelaniya

Absence from work

the state of being away from work, with

authorization or without authorization

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Types of Absense
Authorized absenceBeing away from work after getting prior permission or authorization
from the authorities.
e.g., study leave, maternity leave, duty leave, annual leave, casual or sick leave
taken with permission, medical or special leave with or without pay
Annual leave needs to be taken after getting the prior approval, whereas
casual leave can be taken any time, even after getting absent.

Types of Absenteeism contd.

Unauthorized absence/absenteeismBeing away from work without getting proper prior permission or
without notice.
Here employees fail to come to work scheduled to be done by them.
Unauthorized absence can be beyond the leave entitlement (no pay) or
within the leave entitlement.

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Impact of Absenteeism
There is a cost of absence to an organization.
Costs are of two (02) types.
- Easily measurable costs
e.g., payments for days not worked, costs of medical reimbursements, OT
payments for cover up work
- Costs that are difficult to be measured
e.g., reduction in output due to labor shortages, reduction in quality due to
shortage of labor, delays in delivery of orders (bottlenecks)
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Impact of Absenteeism contd.

QUES:
When there is a huge rate of absenteeism in an organization, it will have
to employ casual labor in the place of them. What are the repercussions
that an organization will have to face as a result of employing casual
labor?

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Factors affecting Absenteeism/ Causes of

Absenteeism/ Possible correlates
Job and plant factors
- Factors related to the work environment
- Organizational factors
Economic factors
Social and cultural factors
- Personal factors
- Family and home situations
- Social factors
Psychological factors

Job and plant factors

Organizational factors
- Nature of work provided by the organization to the employee
- Work load
- Opportunities to do OT work
- Organizational policies
e.g., policies to encash leave
- Work incentives
Factors related to work environment
- Level of job satisfaction
- Poor working conditions
- Skill level
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Economic Factors
Wages and salaries offered to employees
Fringe benefits
Transportation cost

Social and Cultural Factors

Personal factors
- Age
- Gender
- Marital status
- Education level
- Health
- Hobbies and extra curricular activities
- Alcoholism and drug addiction

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Social and Cultural Factors contd.

Family and home situations
- Location of residence and distance from home
- Size of the family and the number of dependents
Social factors
-Peer group influences
-Festivals and functions

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Psychological Factors
Interest in work
Work values
Satisfaction and attraction to the rewards system of the organization

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Preventing Absenteeism in Organizations

Follow a rational approach
Take preventive and controlling measures

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Preventive Measures
At the selection stage
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Preventive Measures contd.

At the hiring stage
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Controlling Absenteeism
Train supervisors and line managers on absence management
Make employees aware about their leave entitlement
Develop counseling and interviewing skills among supervisors
Develop and implement a disciplinary procedure regarding absenteeism
Monitor the level of absenteeism in the departments

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You have been recruited as an intern to

carry out a special project in a reputed
manufacturing organization in Sri Lanka. The
special project entrusted to you is to
prepare preventive mechanism to reduce
absenteeism among factory workers in the
organization.
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