Absenteeism Group 2 Lindsay Fontaine Cara Prell Hillary Kitay Gytis Tuminas Christopher King Emily Gore

Introduction Work Absenteeism: “Absenteeism is understood as the failure of employees to be at their place of work for a directly or indirectly avoidable reason, such as illness, regardless of its duration or nature -common, professional, accident related or otherwise- including medical visits, as well as unjustified absences for all or part of the work day, and circumstantial leave during work hours.”

Introduction The first step to managing absence effectively is to ensure that you have a clear policy in place that supports your organization's business objectives and culture. Effective absence policies must spell out employees' rights and obligations when taking time off from work due to sickness.

Hierarchy of Absenteeism

Statistics of Absenteeism Typical employee is absent 8 days per year 15% of the work-force causes 90% of absenteeism Emotional factors account for 61% of time lost through absenteeism 35% of survey respondents admitted to calling in sick when they felt well at least once during the last year 20% of workers say they called into work because they just didn't feel like going into the office that day 1/4 workers report they feel sick days are equivalent to extra vacation days and treat them as such

Statistics of Reasons

Statistics of Absenteeism Costs Companies spend 5.6% of their payroll on absenteeism. Absenteeism costs the employer 1.75% of an absent employee's wages Absenteeism cost companies near $800 per employee

Motivation Personality Extraverted Individuals Introverted Individuals Much more satisfied in the workplace Introverted Individuals Less satisfied in the workplace due to too much stimulation Are tempted to skip work to avoid the extra stimulation, and would rather be by themselves

Motivation Confidential worker surveys are showing rather surprising results: Absenteeism generally was found to be caused by: Low job satisfaction Substandard working conditions Consistent negative and unfair treatment received by first-line supervisors. Not the typical: Low pay Poor benefits High workloads Actual Sickness

Motivation Low Job Satisfaction Poor Working Conditions Unfair Treatment by Supervisors Stress Alcohol Abuse Domestic Violence Family Problems

Absenteeism effects the company by having: lost productivity of the absent employee Overtime for employees who have to fill in Decreased overall productivity for missing employees Temporary health costs Possible loss of business or unsatisfied customers Problems with employee morale

What Kind of Absence Policy? Traditional Policy Excused absence Unexcused absence Usually must have proof Unexcused absence can require discipline “No fault” Policy Specifies number of absences Days Occurrences Must keep track to inform employees when absences are almost gone

Traditional Policy This type of policy distinguishes between sick leave, vacation, etc. If sick days are used up, can take from vacation time Also distinguishes between excused and unexcused absences Unexcused can lead to disciplinary action

“No Fault” Policy “No questions asked” policy Don’t inquire as to the reason for absence Absences are just tracked for total occurrences Multiple days missed can be one “occurrence” Must specify what will happen if allowed absences are used up

Implementing Your Absence Policy Determine the number of absences allowed Use counseling when limit exceeded Use interview when employees return to establish legitimacy (is documented proof required?) Determine requirements for medical certificates Provide incentives and show deterrents to promote attendance Maintain healthy work environment and have good HR department management

Family and Medical Leave Act Requires that a covered employer provide up to 12 weeks of leave per year Employee must have worked for the company for 12 months and has worked 1,250 hours in this time Reasons for leave can be Birth or adoption of a child A serious medical condition To care for a family member with a serious medical condition The leave does not have to be paid, but the employee can use accrued vacation and sick leave Causes problems if companies use no-fault attendance policies

Resolving Absenteeism 1. Eliminate stress in workplace 2. Create a positive work environment 3. Emphasize motivations 4. Policy awareness 5. Implement rewards/discipline

Reducing Absenteeism We think a good absenteeism policy should include the following: -Give employees flexibility and control at the same time -Acknowledge that employees have lives outside of work -An effective policy is one that empowers both the employer and the employee -Employees must be knowledgeable about the attendance policy for it to be effective!!!

Sources http://www.cicad.oas.org/oid/MainPage/Costs/Protocols/Absenteeim.pdf http:www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P05_5300.asp http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3638/is_12_40/ai_59521650 http://www.radford.edu/~maamodt/HR%20Statistics/Human%20Resource%20Statistics.htm http://www.benefits.org/interface/benefit/eap2.htm http://humanresources.about.com/od/policysamplesac/ http://www.bizland.co.za/articles/labour/preventingabsent.htm

Questions