...- ABSENTEEISM IN THE WORKPLACE One of the most common problems facing employers in today’s workplace is employee absenteeism. It is not something that is unique to any particular industry as its costs impacts just about every workplace. This article is a manager’s perspective on the pervasive trend of absenteeism and why it is a huge problem. However, there are increasingly more and more ways to deal with it and help reduce its enormous costs. Absenteeism as the term suggests, is simply a matter of employees not showing up for their scheduled work. The effects of absenteeism in the workplace are also directly proportional to decreased productivity. Unabated, this can also result in the company incurring additional costs to cover for the hiring of temporary staff or paying overtime. A simple breakdown of the actual cost ramifications of absenteeism are: • Lost productivity of the absent employee • Overtime for other employees to fill in. • The costs incurred hiring temporary help. • Possible loss of business and/or dissatisfied customers. • Problems associated with lowered employee morale. • A substantial decrease in overall productivity. Productivity lost as a direct result of absenteeism is nothing to sneeze at. In the United States, the annual cost to employers for time lost due to accidents and/or unscheduled employee absences is estimated to be in the $100 billion. That figure for the Canadian workplace is estimated to be in the $15 billion range. These...
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...Absenteeism in Ireland An analysis and assessment of absenteeism and absence management in Ireland It’s been well known that excessive workplace absenteeism can be quite costly to organisations. Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the biggest employers association in Ireland, conducted a broad study of absenteeism in Irish workplace and found that the total cost of absenteeism in 2002 was astronomical - €1.58 billion (2004). Subsequently, other organisations have started to pay more attention to this rocketing issue. A survey done by Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association claimed that the direct cost of absenteeism for small businesses is approximately €1.1 billion per year and that the indirect ‘unseen’ costs of absenteeism such as loss of productivity, administration costs, etc. could be even greater than the direct ‘seen’ costs, e.g. sick pay, replacement cost and so on (ISME, 2007). Another report done by the Small Firms Association in 2008 revealed that small businesses in Ireland lose about €793 million annually because of the absenteeism (SFA, 2008). Even though there is considerable variation among their findings, the bottom line is that absenteeism is expensive for companies and thus becomes a big problem for them. As it can significantly undermine their productivity, competitiveness and in a worst scenario even their existence, employers started to look for measures to address the issue and to reduce absenteeism in their plants. This report aims...
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...Presenteeism and absenteeism are both directly related to the health of an employee both through the employee’s physical condition and mental state (De Lorenzo-Romanella 2011). This essay aims to provide an insight into how both presenteeism and absenteeism due to poor health can affect Australian businesses productivity. As there is limited Australian studies relating to this topic, overseas studies have been reviewed. This comprised of mainly American studies due to the cultural similarities. A brief explanation of what is meant by the terms presenteeism and absenteeism, is needed to help the evidence to show by what means productivity can be affected. Also reviewed is how certain industries require different measures to collect specific data and why there is conjecture about converting presenteeism and absenteeism to monetary values. In addition the results of some employee health programs that have been implemented by some employers will be presented. Presenteeism is the term used for when an employee is present in the place of work, whilst not functioning at 100 percent productivity. This could be due to the employee’s health condition referring to the employee’s physical or mental state or a combination of both (Sanderson et al. 2007; Bergstrom et al. 2009; Brooks et al. 2010; Stewart et al. 2011). Employee self reporting questionnaires is usually how presenteeism is assessed and this is demonstrated throughout the various literature that is presently available. Conditions...
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...venture is employee attendance. The employee absenteeism can cost the company funds from an already tight budget by way of lost manpower, or hiring temps. Temps generally are not going to be as fast as the employee because they have not been acclimated to the system at the company and if a temp is not brought in the missing employee slows the work schedule regardless of the position the employee holds. The arguments about what causes employee absenteeism abound worldwide but the bottom line still equals dollars and cents. Recently there have been movements to create an atmosphere from which employees do not want to stay home from. Caregiver centers for children, buy back programs for sick days and many other avenues are being tried. Until businesses can determine the cause of absenteeism that is not illness related and find solutions they will continue to lose money. At the end of the last decade the employee absenteeism rate was lower than it had been in a decade. Many believe that family leave issues and personal leave problems had been dealt with in a successful manner and the problem was solved(Employee, 1997). Since that time however absences in the workplace have continued to plague business around the world including in the United States. The debate about what causes the absences and the argument as to whether the cost of a more family conducive workplace versus the old fashioned style rage on(Employee, 1997). While the absenteeism rate fell for medium companies, the large...
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..."Improving Organizational Performance" Simulation Summary Airdevils Inc. is located in Salt Lake City, Utah founded by Celsey Evans in 1995. There are 115 employees who provide aerial stunts throughout different industries. However, in the last two years Airdevils customers have not been satisfied with their performance and it has also been brought to Celsey Evans that job satisfaction among the employees is low. Job Satisfaction There has been a drop in performance for Airdevils stunt performers. It has been said that employees do not have job satisfaction. Employees were given a survey to determine the reason why job satisfaction was low. The results of the survey were that stunt performers are not receiving what they joined the company for and the stunts are routine and do not excite the performers. The recommendation for the organization is for Celsey Evans to possibly send stunt performers for training in more thrilling stunts given what the budget can allow. Budget Airdevil performers are dissatisfied with the organization and see the organization as inflexible and rigid. A set budget has been put together by Celsey Evans allowing the company to recommend interventions for the stunt performers. Given the budget, some interventions Airdevils can participate in are training in other stunts, enter new line of stunts, and performance based incentives. The company has recommended these interventions because in a previous survey, employees did not have job satisfaction...
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...Drug-Free Workplace Evaluation Andrew Rhea, Rebecca Chiavetta, Jami Krebs, and Lisa Meier PSY 425 November 12, 2012 Dr. Elizabeth Riegner Drug-Free Workplace Evaluation Imagine an employee is returning from a lunch break, and a coworker is collaborating with this individual in an erratic manner. The coworker’s actions make this employee feel unsafe, and cause him or her to become unproductive. The coworker has an accident, and the company is shutdown to investigate the accident. The previous scenario has often occurred throughout the United States, causing companies to lose money from possible lawsuits, and decreased productivity in the workplace. Illicit, and prescription drug use is prevalent in the United States, and causes absenteeism, accidents, downtime, turnover, theft, morale issues, and decreased productivity in the workplace (University of Phoenix, 2012). This proves that companies benefit from instituting drug-free workplace policies with mandatory drug testing within the workplace. Creating a drug-free work environment is a cost-effective necessity in the workplace, and establishing a drug-free work environment will have positive effects on a company. Prevalence of illicit and prescription drug users in the United States workforce Prescription drugs are "dispensed to the public only with an order given by a properly authorized person" (The Free Dictionary, 2012, p. 1). In 1999, American's spent nearly $104.7 billion on prescription drugs, which soon...
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...frequently used by HRM practitioners in the control of absenteeism and its contribution to business objectives. Evaluate the evidence to reinforce commitment and reduce absenteeism. Mowday et al have defined organizational commitment as “ the relative strength of an individual’s identification with an involvement in an organization” (Chapter 7 Attitudes at work, Page no, 265 Work Psychology, Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace by John Arnold (ft) fourth edition) Commitment is very powerful human concept as if a person is committed to an organization; therefore he or she has a strong identification with it and will turn out to be a long-term employee for the organization. Sir Richard Branson is an example of someone’s commitment towards its work. He born in an ordinary established family but it was his commitment, which led him to build the virgin empire and now he is one of the richest man in the world. Controlling the absenteeism is the objective of nearly every business organization and the phrase commitment is regularly used by HRM practitioners in order to control the absenteeism, In this essay I will explain the above statement in more details and also provide the evidence to support it. The question arises here why absenteeism is important? Absenteeism is important because it’s not only costly but it also affects the morale of other employees. The cost of absenteeism is greater than the direct payment of wages and benefits...
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...and knowledge to make this term paper a success. Table of Contents Acknowledgement Chapter I The problem and Its Scope Introduction Statement of the Problem Significance of the Study Definition Chapter II The Content of the Study Absenteeism Factors Contribute to Teachers Absence Impact of Teachers Absenteeism Measuring Absenteeism Controlling Absenteeism Conclusion Bibliography 3 Chapter I The Problem and Its Scope Introduction Rates of employee absences and the effects of absences on productivity are topics of conversation in many organizations. One reason is that high rates of employee absence may signal weak management and poor labor-management relations. In the education sphere, employee absenteeism is a special problem, not only in terms of the cost to the school (payment to substitute teachers) but also the wasted education-time that is liable to impair the sense of confidence that the general public has in the schools. Students may eventually lose their desire to learn if the regular teacher is frequently absent and the curriculum is delivered by an array of substitute teachers. In essence, teacher absenteeism has important implications for school reform, teacher training, educational leadership, and issues related to social justice aimed at promoting equity and excellence in the...
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...Health and Wellness in the Workplace Sandra Whitman Introduction to Research and Information Utilization Mr. Charles F. Millhollan March 29, 2005 Abstract Health and wellness in the workplace plays a vital role in a companies’ ability to not only keep their employees healthy, but also to keep the costs of absenteeism and health-care down. The most important asset to a company is not only their clients, but their employees. Companies are investing not only in their employees’ wellness, but also in their safety and fitness as well. In an effort to keep their employees healthy physically and psychologically, companies are incorporating employee-wellness programs into their work environment to ensure their employees maintain healthy lives. This research paper will focus not only on the physical impact that unhealthy workplaces have on employees but what different companies are doing to promote long-term wellness. Health and Wellness in the Workplace Employers are faced not only with soaring costs of health-care but also with the rising costs of employee absenteeism, and they are reevaluating what used to be purely a personal matter for workers (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2004). In a study conducted during the years 2000 – 2002, the rates of absenteeism remained essentially stable--2.1 percent in 2000, 2.2 percent in 2001, and 2.1 percent in 2002; the costs of paid unscheduled absenteeism rose sharply, not just in 2002 but also in 2001, when they jumped to $755 per employee...
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...Case Study – Spantech Task You are the newly appointed Human Resource Manager at Spantech. You are concerned about the levels of work-related illnesses and absenteeism and want to make improvements. Write a report to the Managing Director in which you outline your suggestions for improving both health and safety in the workplace and in which you also draw the Managing Director’s attention to relevant legislation relating to this. The best way to sort out effectively a problem is for sure identify the causes, analyse the situation and eventually find a solution. The main problems Spantech has to face every day are linked to the absenteeism of the workers, the lack of communication between employees and managers-supervisors, the huge amount of work and stress and finally the unappropriated way of giving appraisals. The workforce is not motivated to improve its own performance and there are discipline problems, no morale and grumbles about the job conditions. Disciplinary procedures are ineffective and a lot of managers/supervisors, left their workplace to join competitors. All these factors indicate that there’s a huge problem at the basis of the system that has to be sorted out. In order to improve the performance of the company and save the situation, the only solution is the one of improving morale and discipline between workers and finding ways to motivate them. http://www.deakin.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0006/231567/preventing-managing-stress.jpg A stressful atmosphere...
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...ATTENDANCE IN THE MANUFACTURING WORK PLACE August 10, 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Carrier’s absenteeism rate has grown tremendously in the last three years; this report show’s changes in the attendance policy could elevate problems that could affect the bottom line profits. Over the last year September 2009-September 2010, the trend of absenteeism has risen to 11.2 percent with a standard deviation of 2.8 percent, this would increase amount of employees needed in the plant that is required for production by at least sixty five, from June 2010 –August 2010 average absenteeism rat jump from 11.2 percent to 13.2 percent with a standard deviation of 3.04 that would increase our head count to seventy extra people to ensure that for at least sixty eight percent of the time we have enough employees to run our product.. Absenteeism generate manufacturing problems such as throughput and missed opportunities. Absenteeism causes throuput to be interupted because of less talented employees having to step up. Quality suffers, createing unsatisfied customers. Also, Overtime is generated due to rework or additional production, this is a financial hit on the bottom line, and the extra manpower generate additional cost of salary and benefits Attendance policies vary from one manufacturing facility to another. The effects are over whelming to each group for a variety of reasons. Whether union or non-union, these policies allow companies to curtail an attendance problem, which allows for...
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...Workplace wellness programs have gained an increasing spotlight in recent years with the introduction and eventual rollout of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare. These types of programs are organized, managed or sponsored by employers with a focus on enriching the lives and wellbeing of employees by improving their physical, mental, emotional and occupational health through education and awareness. The design of these incentive-based programs encourage and reward health conscious behavior such as healthy dietary habits, physical activity, stress management and smoking cessation as well as other disease prevention measures by providing financial incentive or other type of rewards for changing health-related behavior or improving measurable outcomes. Providing or endorsing these types of programs and absorbing the costs associated with the products and services, there must be an incentive for the company as well. It has been touted that these programs have long-term, positive implications for companies such as reducing healthcare costs associated with workplace injuries and occupational complications, increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism, improving employee morale and enhancing the general culture and environment within the workplace. The American Heart Association has reported that by 2030, 40% of Americans will have a diagnosed cardiovascular disease and direct medical costs to society will rise from $278 billion to...
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...Components of the Doctoral Study ss Walden University Section 1: Foundation of the Study Introduction The structure of the modern society has greatly changed. For instance, in 1968, 52 % of children were raised in families in which the father was the sole bread winner; the mother was not in the workforce, while the parents were married. The 1968 statistics is different to today’s society where only 20 % of the children live in households with the father as the as the full time worker while the mother tender the family chore (The Council of Economic Advisers, 2014). Today, children are raised by single parents who double as employees of the labor market. The challenges of integrating family and work life are part of the daily reality of single parents. The challenges are experienced across all the socioeconomic levels. Single parents on pay jobs have family responsibilities; however, their jobs are designed as if they lacked them. For a long time, work and family life have been interdependent. However, the increase in the employment of mothers , and increased family working hours, and the trend toward long working hours have made the independence more problematic and visible (Ballyn, Drago & Kochan, 2001). Background to the Problem Creating a balance between a full-time working schedule and parenting is a challenge that most single parents have to contend with in the course of their daily lives (Favero & Heath, 2012). It is important to note that most of...
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...EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION IN A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION" 1. Discuss the long-term relevance of motivational techniques used by Baheti in the light of prevailing environment in the organization. Answer:- Baheti used good techniques to motivate their employee to overcome the current situation. a. Announcing the performance of the month was very good strategy to keep the performance up and also to sweeten the good relation with customer. b. To improve attendance he also introduced the compulsory attendance of 20 days with the alignment of 200 calls per day. Going ahead it could be used as a strategy. c. To dig out the root cause of the problem Baheti started talking with operators regarding the problem they face on the floor. Going forward this could also made as a strategy in terms of one to one talk with the employees periodically, if needed. d. Introduction of the yearly or half yearly performer was another best strategy, which could be followed continuously as a strategy. e. Introducing prizes of employees’ choice. f. Identifying and recognizing the best employee and keeping their name on the board of honor was another best strategy what was followed. g. Issuing the appreciation letter was another technique what helped organization and management to earn the faith of employees. If above points were practiced regularly as strategy, would have resulted greatly from the beginning itself. Indeed the used motivational techniques were long-term relevance of motivational techniques...
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...Efficacy of Wellness Programs in the Workplace By: ??????? July 27, 2012 Dr. ??????? Abstract Workplace wellness programs are programs created to promote a healthy lifestyle among employees through exercise facilities, classes or seminars on nutrition, and exercise and health education. Wellness programs have been implemented by various corporations and firms. Larger corporations (minimum of 1,000 workers) tend to implement wellness programs to boost worker health, productivity, and, ultimately, reduce company cost for health care coverage. The United States Workplace Wellness Alliance was implemented in 2009 because of the need for wellness programs for corporations. A qualitative search from scholarly, peer-reviewed articles of employee wellness programs was conducted to assess the efficacy of the wellness programs. The results showed promising results of wellness programs, including decrease in company health care cost and increase in return on investments (ROIs). Workplace wellness programs have shown to decrease employee absenteeism, presenteeism, medical cost, and increase productivity. Background Wellness programs are a common part of the modern-day workplace. They were created for companies to cultivate wellness in their employees. Wellness programs are an essential part of corporations for various reasons. The most important reason is that healthy employees lead to greater productivity for a company and, ultimately, more revenue. Over the...
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