Absenteeism is the manifestation of a decision by employees not to present themselves at their place of work, at a time when it is planned by the management that they should be in attendance. Employee absenteeism is a global problem facing all companies. Although rates of absenteeism will vary respective of company size, company location, weather, industry type, and level of stress inherent in the job responsibility, the impact of this costly issue affects virtually all businesses. The result of absenteeism is reduced employee productivity, reduced employee morale, and increased overhead costs. The effort on the part of Human Resource Management and the policy level senior managers is required in the effective development of an Attendance Management Programme that to curb the physical absence of employees at work. Major reasons behind this effort are;
Attendance is the responsibility of the facility management and ultimately the administrators
Attendance behavior can be and is linked directly to the culture of the worksite.
The frequency of leave taking behavior is high in the present organizational climate.
Strong trade union as an alternative supporting system to support the employees.
High socio-cultural integration behavior of the employees outside the organization
Since attendance is the responsibility of the administration, this article suggests following efforts that to be initiated at the administrative level to manage the attendance at work.
An attendance management team should be formed under Human Resource Division to curb the employee's absenteeism. Front-line management should be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure should be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management, and attendance control. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. The attendance management team should develop and maintain an attendance management policy in each work site.
Open communication and information sharing between management and supervisors to be entertained to develop better trust and confidence. Transparency in the interaction and interrelation brings better involvement and commitment on the part of the employee at work. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the workplace are clear and can be dealt with. Continually provide employees with information regarding the company's performance to budget. To link their participation with overall outcomes and develop ownership.
Where industries have trade union organizations, effective participation and representation in decision-making should be encouraged. The greater the acceptance and involvement opportunity to the trade union leaders feel at work, the greater the participation they show toward attendance management effort. The importance of attendance management should be better shared with the union representatives in the long-term existence of the organization.
Department get-together or scheduled meetings are a better way to interact with employees and employers. The opportunity to interact with each other helps the employer to get aware of the perception and attitude of employees in the many conflicting situations that lead to physical absence in the work schedule. Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way to understand employee grievances and communicate organizational goals. The staff development meetings are important in molding company ideals with employee needs. Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved.
Managers should make use of relationships as a strategy to develop group cohesiveness between employees at work. A feeling of informal relationship with coworkers helps to understand their problems and make possible effective involvement in the problem-solving process. This effort enhances the feeling of an informal organization and enhances the attendance of employees at work. Know the employees who are working for the organization; without prying, show an interest in their personal lives.
Involvement of employees is possible only when they feel enlightened by getting greater acceptance and greater importance at work. Develop ways for each and every employee to feel free to contribute ideas and suggestions even though these may be outside the scope of their job responsibilities. The greater the acceptance of their ideas and suggestions, the greater the members' feeling of the need for presence at work. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in the organization, and that their attendance is critical.
Employee Development is one of the areas that managers in the organization have to keenly look into. Employees in the organization are having high expectations in the growth and development within their professional field. Employee development programs under organizational level training and development programs to be extended to enhance their skill and contribution at work. Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department.
Employees in the organization may be coming from rural areas and having poor socio-economic conditions. An effort to understand their day-to-day living itself is a positive attitude on the part of management. Under corporate social responsibility programs, some of the social development programs can be incorporated so that poverty, housing, family development, child development, marital counseling, etc., like basic needs of the employees can be better met with. It gives better peace of mind to the employees and helps them to concentrate better at work. Be aware of problems that may affect employee attendance or performance.
Industrial counseling is an effective area to intervene in many of the socio-emotional problems of the employees. Marital stress, family stress, personal stress, organizational stress, job stress, career stress, etc., are some of the areas in which the human resource managers in the organization can effectively intervene through counseling and support. The counseling intervention can better alleviate the problems of the employees and thereby improve attendance of employees at work. Discuss with all employees' problems of unjustifiable time off. Start a home safety campaign to be extended to children and family members of employees that to avoid the injuries at home, which in turn affects attendance of employees at work.
Effective Leave management Program to be developed to support the attendance management program. Under Leave management Program, a bonus for the unused leave should be provided. Indians are enjoying so many holidays. May-June is the season for school admission marriage etc. Specific leave arrangements to be made in those seasons to control the absence at work. Different religious groups' festivals and rituals to be accommodated with alternative staff arrangement. Promotion and advancement opportunity for those who do not avail of leaves to be encouraged. Strategic decision as "No Leave" to be taken when the organization has to meet the deadlines of the customers and there is acute competition for the product. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management is to be entertained to curb sick leave. Attempts to discourage spurious sick leave being taken. Quarterly and annual incentive schemes to be developed to reward those who don't have an absent day.
Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep in contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping in contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work.
Doctors are giving medical certificates and fitness certificates to employees, by paying a lump sum amount of money. Such cases to be legally dealt with and doctors to be well campaigned against such malpractices. Since such efforts are deliberate on the part of employees, adequate negative reinforcement measures to be taken into account.
Official warnings as verbal and written are to be provided to the absent employees. Formally meet with the employee and explain that income protection is to be used only when an employee is legitimately ill. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level or further disciplinary action will result. Where there is no improvement, a written warning should be issued. Interview the employee again. Show him/her the statistics and point out that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Listen to the employee to see if there is a valid reason and offer any assistance you can. If no satisfactory explanation is given, advise the employee that he/she will be given a written warning. Adequate counseling to be provided in each attempt.
Tie the successful completion of work objectives to the salary review process. Objectives should include a program-building component as well as focusing on the bottom line. The attendance management team should closely monitor each department tries to get the statistics of the attendance of each work site or department and find out those who require encouragement in their effort and those who require warning. Adequate authority to be provided to the Attendance Management Team to take action and for effective interventions since their effort is to support the productivity and quantity and quality of production.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned efforts are some of the corrective/progressive suggestions that help HR managers to curb absenteeism at work. The community initiatives and septic schemes are the major intervention in the area of attendance management. Develop trust and confidence on the part of employees at work and support them in their socio-emotional affairs are the major objectives behind the attendance management program. The greater the support members feel at their personal and professional realm, the greater their readiness to do the work.
S.Lakshminaryanan
From India, Manipal
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3Attendance is the responsibility of the facility management and ultimately the administrators
Attendance behavior can be and is linked directly to the culture of the worksite.
The frequency of leave taking behavior is high in the present organizational climate.
Strong trade union as an alternative supporting system to support the employees.
High socio-cultural integration behavior of the employees outside the organization
Since attendance is the responsibility of the administration, this article suggests following efforts that to be initiated at the administrative level to manage the attendance at work.
An attendance management team should be formed under Human Resource Division to curb the employee's absenteeism. Front-line management should be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure should be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management, and attendance control. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. The attendance management team should develop and maintain an attendance management policy in each work site.
Open communication and information sharing between management and supervisors to be entertained to develop better trust and confidence. Transparency in the interaction and interrelation brings better involvement and commitment on the part of the employee at work. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the workplace are clear and can be dealt with. Continually provide employees with information regarding the company's performance to budget. To link their participation with overall outcomes and develop ownership.
Where industries have trade union organizations, effective participation and representation in decision-making should be encouraged. The greater the acceptance and involvement opportunity to the trade union leaders feel at work, the greater the participation they show toward attendance management effort. The importance of attendance management should be better shared with the union representatives in the long-term existence of the organization.
Department get-together or scheduled meetings are a better way to interact with employees and employers. The opportunity to interact with each other helps the employer to get aware of the perception and attitude of employees in the many conflicting situations that lead to physical absence in the work schedule. Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way to understand employee grievances and communicate organizational goals. The staff development meetings are important in molding company ideals with employee needs. Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved.
Managers should make use of relationships as a strategy to develop group cohesiveness between employees at work. A feeling of informal relationship with coworkers helps to understand their problems and make possible effective involvement in the problem-solving process. This effort enhances the feeling of an informal organization and enhances the attendance of employees at work. Know the employees who are working for the organization; without prying, show an interest in their personal lives.
Involvement of employees is possible only when they feel enlightened by getting greater acceptance and greater importance at work. Develop ways for each and every employee to feel free to contribute ideas and suggestions even though these may be outside the scope of their job responsibilities. The greater the acceptance of their ideas and suggestions, the greater the members' feeling of the need for presence at work. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in the organization, and that their attendance is critical.
Employee Development is one of the areas that managers in the organization have to keenly look into. Employees in the organization are having high expectations in the growth and development within their professional field. Employee development programs under organizational level training and development programs to be extended to enhance their skill and contribution at work. Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department.
Employees in the organization may be coming from rural areas and having poor socio-economic conditions. An effort to understand their day-to-day living itself is a positive attitude on the part of management. Under corporate social responsibility programs, some of the social development programs can be incorporated so that poverty, housing, family development, child development, marital counseling, etc., like basic needs of the employees can be better met with. It gives better peace of mind to the employees and helps them to concentrate better at work. Be aware of problems that may affect employee attendance or performance.
Industrial counseling is an effective area to intervene in many of the socio-emotional problems of the employees. Marital stress, family stress, personal stress, organizational stress, job stress, career stress, etc., are some of the areas in which the human resource managers in the organization can effectively intervene through counseling and support. The counseling intervention can better alleviate the problems of the employees and thereby improve attendance of employees at work. Discuss with all employees' problems of unjustifiable time off. Start a home safety campaign to be extended to children and family members of employees that to avoid the injuries at home, which in turn affects attendance of employees at work.
Effective Leave management Program to be developed to support the attendance management program. Under Leave management Program, a bonus for the unused leave should be provided. Indians are enjoying so many holidays. May-June is the season for school admission marriage etc. Specific leave arrangements to be made in those seasons to control the absence at work. Different religious groups' festivals and rituals to be accommodated with alternative staff arrangement. Promotion and advancement opportunity for those who do not avail of leaves to be encouraged. Strategic decision as "No Leave" to be taken when the organization has to meet the deadlines of the customers and there is acute competition for the product. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management is to be entertained to curb sick leave. Attempts to discourage spurious sick leave being taken. Quarterly and annual incentive schemes to be developed to reward those who don't have an absent day.
Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep in contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping in contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work.
Doctors are giving medical certificates and fitness certificates to employees, by paying a lump sum amount of money. Such cases to be legally dealt with and doctors to be well campaigned against such malpractices. Since such efforts are deliberate on the part of employees, adequate negative reinforcement measures to be taken into account.
Official warnings as verbal and written are to be provided to the absent employees. Formally meet with the employee and explain that income protection is to be used only when an employee is legitimately ill. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level or further disciplinary action will result. Where there is no improvement, a written warning should be issued. Interview the employee again. Show him/her the statistics and point out that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Listen to the employee to see if there is a valid reason and offer any assistance you can. If no satisfactory explanation is given, advise the employee that he/she will be given a written warning. Adequate counseling to be provided in each attempt.
Tie the successful completion of work objectives to the salary review process. Objectives should include a program-building component as well as focusing on the bottom line. The attendance management team should closely monitor each department tries to get the statistics of the attendance of each work site or department and find out those who require encouragement in their effort and those who require warning. Adequate authority to be provided to the Attendance Management Team to take action and for effective interventions since their effort is to support the productivity and quantity and quality of production.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned efforts are some of the corrective/progressive suggestions that help HR managers to curb absenteeism at work. The community initiatives and septic schemes are the major intervention in the area of attendance management. Develop trust and confidence on the part of employees at work and support them in their socio-emotional affairs are the major objectives behind the attendance management program. The greater the support members feel at their personal and professional realm, the greater their readiness to do the work.
S.Lakshminaryanan
From India, Manipal
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi Friends!
Can someone please help me understand absenteeism better by giving an answer to the below-mentioned example and the logic behind the answer, please?
Out of 10 employees in an organization, 2 are not present for a particular day. Out of these 2 employees, 1 has applied for leave one week back, and the leave is sanctioned by the concerned supervisor. The second employee has not applied for leave and provided no intimation.
In this case, the absenteeism rate for that particular day would be 10% or 20%.
Would appreciate an answer as below:
Answer:
Justification / Logic:
Regards,
Hiten
[Absenteeism is the manifestation of a decision by employees not to present themselves at their place of work, at a time when it is planned by the management that they should be in attendance. Employee absenteeism is a global problem facing all companies. Although rates of absenteeism will vary respective of company size, company location, weather, industry type, and level of stress inherent in the job responsibility, the impact of this costly issue affects virtually all businesses. The result of absenteeism is reduced employee productivity, reduced employee morale, and increased overhead costs. The effort on the part of Human Resource Management and the policy level senior managers is required in the effective development of an Attendance Management Programme to curb the physical absence of employees at work. Major reasons behind this effort are;
- Attendance is the responsibility of the facility management and ultimately the administrators.
- Attendance behavior can be and is linked directly to the culture of the worksite.
- The frequency of leave-taking behavior is high in the present organizational climate.
- Strong trade union as an alternative supporting system to support the employees.
- High socio-cultural integration behavior of the employees outside the organization.
Since attendance is the responsibility of the administration, this article suggests following efforts that should be initiated at the administrative level to manage the attendance at work.
- An attendance management team should be formed under Human Resource Division to curb the employees' absenteeism. Front-line management should be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure should be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management, and attendance control. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. The attendance management team should develop and maintain an attendance management policy at each worksite.
- Open communication and information sharing between management and supervisors to be entertained to develop better trust and confidence. Transparency in the interaction and interrelation brings better involvement and commitment on the part of employees at work. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the workplace are clear and can be dealt with. Continually provide employees with information regarding the company's performances to budget. To link their participation with overall outcomes and develop ownership.
- Where industries have trade union organizations, effective participation and representation in the decision-making should be encouraged. The greater the acceptance and involvement opportunity to the trade union leaders feel at work greater the participation they show toward attendance management effort. The importance of attendance management should be better shared with the union representatives in the long-term existence of the organization.
- Department get-together or scheduled meetings are a better way to interact with employees and employers. The opportunity to interact with each other helps the employer to get aware of the perception and attitude of employees in the many conflicting situations that lead to physical absence in the work schedule. Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way to understand employee grievances and communicate organizational goals. The staff development meetings are important in molding company ideals with employee needs. Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved.
- Managers should make use of relationships as a strategy to develop group cohesiveness between employees at work. A feeling of an informal relationship with coworkers helps to understand their problems and make possible effective involvement in the problem-solving process. This effort enhances the feeling of informal organization and develops enhance the attendance of employees at work. Know the employees who are working for the organization; without prying show an interest in their personal lives.
- Involvement of employees is possible only when they feel enlightened by getting greater acceptance and greater importance at work. Develop ways for each and every employee to feel free to contribute ideas and suggestions even though these may be outside the scope of their job responsibilities. The greater the acceptance of their ideas and suggestions, the greater the members' feeling of the need for presence at work. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in the organization, and that their attendance is critical.
- Employee Development is one of the areas that managers in the organization have to keenly look into. Employees in the organization are having high expectations in the growth and development within their professional field. Employee development programs under organizational-level training and development programs to be extended to enhance their skill and contribution at work. Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department.
- Employees in the organization may be coming from rural areas and having poor socio-economic conditions. An effort to understand their day-to-day living itself is a positive attitude on the part of management. Under corporate social responsibility programs, some of the social development programs can be incorporated so that poverty, housing, family development, child development, marital counseling, etc., like basic needs of the employees can be better met with. It gives better peace of mind to the employees and helps them to concentrate better at work. Be aware of problems that may affect employee attendance or performance.
- Industrial counseling is an effective area to intervene in many of the socio-emotional problems of the employees. Marital stress, family stress, personal stress, organizational stress, job stress, career stress, etc., are some of the areas in which the human resource managers in the organization can effectively intervene through counseling and support. The counseling intervention can better alleviate the problems of the employees and thereby improve attendance of employees at work. Discuss with all employees' problems of unjustifiable time off. Start a home safety campaign to be extended to children and family members of employees to avoid injuries at home, which in turn affects attendance of employees at work.
- An effective Leave management Program to be developed to support the attendance management program. Under Leave management Program, a bonus for the unused leave should be provided. Indians are enjoying so many holidays. May-June is the season for school admission, marriage, etc. Specific leave arrangements to be made in those seasons to control the absence at work. Different religious groups' festivals and rituals to be accommodated with alternative staff arrangements. Promotion and advancement opportunities for those who do not avail of leaves to be encouraged. Strategic decisions as "No Leave" to be taken when the organization has to meet the deadlines of the customers and there is acute competition of the product. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management is to be entertained to curb sick leave. Attempts to discourage spurious sick leave being taken. Quarterly and annually incentive schemes to be developed to reward those who don't have an absent day.
- Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep in contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping in contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work.
- Doctors are giving medical certificates and fitness certificates to employees, by paying a lump sum amount of money. Such cases to be legally dealt with and doctors to be well campaigned against such malpractices. Since such efforts are deliberate on the part of employees, adequate negative reinforcement measures to be taken into account.
- Official warnings as verbal and in writing to be provided to the absented employees. Formally meet with the employee and explain that income protection is to be used only when an employee is legitimately ill. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level or further disciplinary action will result. Where there is no improvement, a written warning should be issued. Interview the employee again. Show him/her the statistics and point out that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Listen to the employee to see if there is a valid reason and offer any assistance you can. If no satisfactory explanation is given, advise the employee that he/she will be given a written warning. Adequate counseling to be provided in each attempt.
- Tie the successful completion of work objectives to the salary review process. Objectives should include a program-building component as well as focusing on the bottom line. The attendance management team should closely monitor each department, try to get the statistics of the attendance of each worksite or department and find out those who require encouragement in their effort and those who require a warning. Adequate authority to be provided to the Attendance Management Team to take action and for effective interventions since their effort is to support the productivity and quantity and quality of production.
Conclusion The above-mentioned efforts are some of the corrective/progressive suggestions that help the HR managers to curb absenteeism at work. The community initiatives and septic schemes are the major intervention in the area of attendance management. Develop trust and confidence on the part of employees at work and support them in their socio-emotional affairs are the major objectives behind the attendance management program. The greater the support members feel at their personal and professional realm, the greater their readiness to do the work.
S. Lakshminaryanan
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Can someone please help me understand absenteeism better by giving an answer to the below-mentioned example and the logic behind the answer, please?
Out of 10 employees in an organization, 2 are not present for a particular day. Out of these 2 employees, 1 has applied for leave one week back, and the leave is sanctioned by the concerned supervisor. The second employee has not applied for leave and provided no intimation.
In this case, the absenteeism rate for that particular day would be 10% or 20%.
Would appreciate an answer as below:
Answer:
Justification / Logic:
Regards,
Hiten
[Absenteeism is the manifestation of a decision by employees not to present themselves at their place of work, at a time when it is planned by the management that they should be in attendance. Employee absenteeism is a global problem facing all companies. Although rates of absenteeism will vary respective of company size, company location, weather, industry type, and level of stress inherent in the job responsibility, the impact of this costly issue affects virtually all businesses. The result of absenteeism is reduced employee productivity, reduced employee morale, and increased overhead costs. The effort on the part of Human Resource Management and the policy level senior managers is required in the effective development of an Attendance Management Programme to curb the physical absence of employees at work. Major reasons behind this effort are;
- Attendance is the responsibility of the facility management and ultimately the administrators.
- Attendance behavior can be and is linked directly to the culture of the worksite.
- The frequency of leave-taking behavior is high in the present organizational climate.
- Strong trade union as an alternative supporting system to support the employees.
- High socio-cultural integration behavior of the employees outside the organization.
Since attendance is the responsibility of the administration, this article suggests following efforts that should be initiated at the administrative level to manage the attendance at work.
- An attendance management team should be formed under Human Resource Division to curb the employees' absenteeism. Front-line management should be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure should be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management, and attendance control. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. The attendance management team should develop and maintain an attendance management policy at each worksite.
- Open communication and information sharing between management and supervisors to be entertained to develop better trust and confidence. Transparency in the interaction and interrelation brings better involvement and commitment on the part of employees at work. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the workplace are clear and can be dealt with. Continually provide employees with information regarding the company's performances to budget. To link their participation with overall outcomes and develop ownership.
- Where industries have trade union organizations, effective participation and representation in the decision-making should be encouraged. The greater the acceptance and involvement opportunity to the trade union leaders feel at work greater the participation they show toward attendance management effort. The importance of attendance management should be better shared with the union representatives in the long-term existence of the organization.
- Department get-together or scheduled meetings are a better way to interact with employees and employers. The opportunity to interact with each other helps the employer to get aware of the perception and attitude of employees in the many conflicting situations that lead to physical absence in the work schedule. Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way to understand employee grievances and communicate organizational goals. The staff development meetings are important in molding company ideals with employee needs. Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved.
- Managers should make use of relationships as a strategy to develop group cohesiveness between employees at work. A feeling of an informal relationship with coworkers helps to understand their problems and make possible effective involvement in the problem-solving process. This effort enhances the feeling of informal organization and develops enhance the attendance of employees at work. Know the employees who are working for the organization; without prying show an interest in their personal lives.
- Involvement of employees is possible only when they feel enlightened by getting greater acceptance and greater importance at work. Develop ways for each and every employee to feel free to contribute ideas and suggestions even though these may be outside the scope of their job responsibilities. The greater the acceptance of their ideas and suggestions, the greater the members' feeling of the need for presence at work. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in the organization, and that their attendance is critical.
- Employee Development is one of the areas that managers in the organization have to keenly look into. Employees in the organization are having high expectations in the growth and development within their professional field. Employee development programs under organizational-level training and development programs to be extended to enhance their skill and contribution at work. Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department.
- Employees in the organization may be coming from rural areas and having poor socio-economic conditions. An effort to understand their day-to-day living itself is a positive attitude on the part of management. Under corporate social responsibility programs, some of the social development programs can be incorporated so that poverty, housing, family development, child development, marital counseling, etc., like basic needs of the employees can be better met with. It gives better peace of mind to the employees and helps them to concentrate better at work. Be aware of problems that may affect employee attendance or performance.
- Industrial counseling is an effective area to intervene in many of the socio-emotional problems of the employees. Marital stress, family stress, personal stress, organizational stress, job stress, career stress, etc., are some of the areas in which the human resource managers in the organization can effectively intervene through counseling and support. The counseling intervention can better alleviate the problems of the employees and thereby improve attendance of employees at work. Discuss with all employees' problems of unjustifiable time off. Start a home safety campaign to be extended to children and family members of employees to avoid injuries at home, which in turn affects attendance of employees at work.
- An effective Leave management Program to be developed to support the attendance management program. Under Leave management Program, a bonus for the unused leave should be provided. Indians are enjoying so many holidays. May-June is the season for school admission, marriage, etc. Specific leave arrangements to be made in those seasons to control the absence at work. Different religious groups' festivals and rituals to be accommodated with alternative staff arrangements. Promotion and advancement opportunities for those who do not avail of leaves to be encouraged. Strategic decisions as "No Leave" to be taken when the organization has to meet the deadlines of the customers and there is acute competition of the product. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management is to be entertained to curb sick leave. Attempts to discourage spurious sick leave being taken. Quarterly and annually incentive schemes to be developed to reward those who don't have an absent day.
- Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep in contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping in contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work.
- Doctors are giving medical certificates and fitness certificates to employees, by paying a lump sum amount of money. Such cases to be legally dealt with and doctors to be well campaigned against such malpractices. Since such efforts are deliberate on the part of employees, adequate negative reinforcement measures to be taken into account.
- Official warnings as verbal and in writing to be provided to the absented employees. Formally meet with the employee and explain that income protection is to be used only when an employee is legitimately ill. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level or further disciplinary action will result. Where there is no improvement, a written warning should be issued. Interview the employee again. Show him/her the statistics and point out that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Listen to the employee to see if there is a valid reason and offer any assistance you can. If no satisfactory explanation is given, advise the employee that he/she will be given a written warning. Adequate counseling to be provided in each attempt.
- Tie the successful completion of work objectives to the salary review process. Objectives should include a program-building component as well as focusing on the bottom line. The attendance management team should closely monitor each department, try to get the statistics of the attendance of each worksite or department and find out those who require encouragement in their effort and those who require a warning. Adequate authority to be provided to the Attendance Management Team to take action and for effective interventions since their effort is to support the productivity and quantity and quality of production.
Conclusion The above-mentioned efforts are some of the corrective/progressive suggestions that help the HR managers to curb absenteeism at work. The community initiatives and septic schemes are the major intervention in the area of attendance management. Develop trust and confidence on the part of employees at work and support them in their socio-emotional affairs are the major objectives behind the attendance management program. The greater the support members feel at their personal and professional realm, the greater their readiness to do the work.
S. Lakshminaryanan
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear bijuanitha,
Absenteeism is the manifestation of a decision by employees not to present themselves at their place of work, at a time when it is planned by the management that they should be in attendance. Employee absenteeism is a global problem facing all companies. Although rates of absenteeism will vary respective of company size, company location, weather, industry type, and level of stress inherent in the job responsibility, the impact of this costly issue affects virtually all businesses. The result of absenteeism is reduced employee productivity, reduced employee morale, and increased overhead costs. The effort on the part of Human Resource Management and the policy level senior managers is required in the effective development of an Attendance Management Programme to curb the physical absence of employees at work. Major reasons behind this effort are:
- Attendance is the responsibility of the facility management and ultimately the administrators.
- Attendance behavior can be and is linked directly to the culture of the worksite.
- The frequency of leave-taking behavior is high in the present organizational climate.
- Strong trade union as an alternative supporting system to support the employees.
- High socio-cultural integration behavior of the employees outside the organization.
Since attendance is the responsibility of the administration, this article suggests following efforts that to be initiated at the administrative level to manage the attendance at work:
- An attendance management team should be formed under Human Resource Division to curb the employee's absenteeism. Frontline management should be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure should be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management, and attendance control. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. The attendance management team should develop and maintain an attendance management policy in each worksite.
- Open communication and information sharing between management and supervisors to be entertained to develop better trust and confidence. Transparency in the interaction and interrelation bring better involvement and commitment on the part of employees at work. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the workplace are clear and can be dealt with. Continually provide employees with information regarding the company's performance to budget. To link their participation with overall outcomes and develop ownership.
- Where industries have trade union organizations, effective participation and representation in the decision-making should be encouraged. Greater the acceptance and involvement opportunity to the trade union leaders feel at work, greater the participation they show toward attendance management effort. The importance of attendance management should be better shared with the union representatives in the long-term existence of the organization.
- Department get-together or scheduled meetings are a better way to interact with employees and employers. The opportunity to interact with each other helps the employer to get aware of the perception and attitude of employees in the many conflicting situations that lead to physical absence in the work schedule. Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way to understand employee grievances and communicate organizational goals. The staff development meetings are essential in molding company ideals with employee needs. Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved.
- Managers should make use of a relationship as a strategy to develop group cohesiveness between employees at work. A feeling of informal relationships with coworkers help to understand their problems and make possible effective involvement in the problem-solving process. This effort enhances the feeling of informal organization and develops enhanced attendance of employees at work. Know the employees who are working for the organization; without prying show an interest in their personal lives.
- Involvement of employees is possible only when they feel enlightened by getting greater acceptance and greater importance at work. Develop ways for each and every employee to feel free to contribute ideas and suggestions even though these may be outside the scope of their job responsibilities. Greater the acceptance of their ideas and suggestions, greater the members feel a need for presence at work. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in the organization, and that their attendance is critical.
- Employee Development is one of the areas that managers in the organization have to keenly look into. Employees in the organization are having high expectations in the growth and development within their professional field. Employee development programs under organizational-level training and development programs to be extended to enhance their skill and contribution at work. Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department.
- Employees in the organization may be coming from rural areas and having poor socio-economic conditions. An effort to understand their day-to-day living itself is a positive attitude on the part of management. Under corporate social responsibility programs, some of the social development programs can be incorporated so that poverty, housing, family development, child development, marital counseling, etc., like basic needs of the employees can be better met with. It gives better peace of mind to the employees and helps them to concentrate better at work. Be aware of problems that may affect employee attendance or performance.
- Industrial counseling is an effective area to intervene in many of the socio-emotional problems of the employees. Marital stress, family stress, personal stress, organizational stress, job stress, career stress, etc., are some of the areas in which the human resource managers in the organization can effectively intervene through counseling and support. The counseling intervention can better alleviate the problems of the employees and thereby improve attendance of employees at work. Discusses with all employees' problems of unjustifiable time off. Started a home safety campaign to be extended to children and family members of employees to avoid injuries at home, which in turn affect attendance of employees at work.
- Effective Leave management Program to be developed to support the attendance management program. Under Leave management Program, a bonus for the unused leave should be provided. Indians are enjoying so many holidays. May-June is the season for school admission marriage, etc. Specific leave arrangements to be made in those seasons to control the absence at work. Different religious groups' festivals and rituals to be accommodated with alternative staff arrangements. Promotion and advancement opportunities for those who do not avail of leaves to be encouraged. Strategic decisions as "No Leave" to be taken when the organization has to meet the deadlines of the customers and there is acute competition for the product. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management is to be entertained to curb sick leave. Attempts to discourage spurious sick leave being taken. Quarterly and annually incentive schemes to be developed to reward those who do not have an absent day.
- Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping in contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work.
- Doctors are giving medical certificates and fitness certificates to employees, by paying a lump sum amount of money. Such cases to be legally dealt with, and doctors to be well campaigned against such malpractices. Since such efforts are deliberate on the part of employees, adequate negative reinforcement measures to be taken into account.
- Official warnings as verbal and written to be provided to the absented employees. Formally meet with the employee and explain that income protection is to be used only when an employee is legitimately ill. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level or further disciplinary action will result. Where there is no improvement, a written warning should be issued. Interview the employee again. Show him/her the statistics and point out that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Listen to the employee to see if there is a valid reason and offer any assistance you can. If no satisfactory explanation is given, advise the employee that he/she will be given a written warning. Adequate counseling to be provided in each attempt.
- Tie the successful completion of work objectives to the salary review process. Objectives should include a program-building component as well as focusing on the bottom line. The attendance management team should closely monitor each department, try to get the statistics of the attendance of each worksite or department, and find out those who require encouragement in their effort and those who require warning. Adequate authority to be provided to the Attendance Management Team to take action and for effective interventions since their effort is to support the productivity and quantity and quality of production.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned efforts are some of the corrective/progressive suggestions that help the HR managers to curb absenteeism at work. The community initiatives and septic schemes are the major intervention in the area of attendance management. Develop trust and confidence on the part of employees at work and support them in their socio-emotional affairs are the major objectives behind the attendance management program. The greater the support members feel at their personal and professional realm, the greater their readiness to do the work.
Sincerely,
S. Lakshminaryanan
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Absenteeism is the manifestation of a decision by employees not to present themselves at their place of work, at a time when it is planned by the management that they should be in attendance. Employee absenteeism is a global problem facing all companies. Although rates of absenteeism will vary respective of company size, company location, weather, industry type, and level of stress inherent in the job responsibility, the impact of this costly issue affects virtually all businesses. The result of absenteeism is reduced employee productivity, reduced employee morale, and increased overhead costs. The effort on the part of Human Resource Management and the policy level senior managers is required in the effective development of an Attendance Management Programme to curb the physical absence of employees at work. Major reasons behind this effort are:
- Attendance is the responsibility of the facility management and ultimately the administrators.
- Attendance behavior can be and is linked directly to the culture of the worksite.
- The frequency of leave-taking behavior is high in the present organizational climate.
- Strong trade union as an alternative supporting system to support the employees.
- High socio-cultural integration behavior of the employees outside the organization.
Since attendance is the responsibility of the administration, this article suggests following efforts that to be initiated at the administrative level to manage the attendance at work:
- An attendance management team should be formed under Human Resource Division to curb the employee's absenteeism. Frontline management should be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure should be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management, and attendance control. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. The attendance management team should develop and maintain an attendance management policy in each worksite.
- Open communication and information sharing between management and supervisors to be entertained to develop better trust and confidence. Transparency in the interaction and interrelation bring better involvement and commitment on the part of employees at work. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the workplace are clear and can be dealt with. Continually provide employees with information regarding the company's performance to budget. To link their participation with overall outcomes and develop ownership.
- Where industries have trade union organizations, effective participation and representation in the decision-making should be encouraged. Greater the acceptance and involvement opportunity to the trade union leaders feel at work, greater the participation they show toward attendance management effort. The importance of attendance management should be better shared with the union representatives in the long-term existence of the organization.
- Department get-together or scheduled meetings are a better way to interact with employees and employers. The opportunity to interact with each other helps the employer to get aware of the perception and attitude of employees in the many conflicting situations that lead to physical absence in the work schedule. Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way to understand employee grievances and communicate organizational goals. The staff development meetings are essential in molding company ideals with employee needs. Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved.
- Managers should make use of a relationship as a strategy to develop group cohesiveness between employees at work. A feeling of informal relationships with coworkers help to understand their problems and make possible effective involvement in the problem-solving process. This effort enhances the feeling of informal organization and develops enhanced attendance of employees at work. Know the employees who are working for the organization; without prying show an interest in their personal lives.
- Involvement of employees is possible only when they feel enlightened by getting greater acceptance and greater importance at work. Develop ways for each and every employee to feel free to contribute ideas and suggestions even though these may be outside the scope of their job responsibilities. Greater the acceptance of their ideas and suggestions, greater the members feel a need for presence at work. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in the organization, and that their attendance is critical.
- Employee Development is one of the areas that managers in the organization have to keenly look into. Employees in the organization are having high expectations in the growth and development within their professional field. Employee development programs under organizational-level training and development programs to be extended to enhance their skill and contribution at work. Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department.
- Employees in the organization may be coming from rural areas and having poor socio-economic conditions. An effort to understand their day-to-day living itself is a positive attitude on the part of management. Under corporate social responsibility programs, some of the social development programs can be incorporated so that poverty, housing, family development, child development, marital counseling, etc., like basic needs of the employees can be better met with. It gives better peace of mind to the employees and helps them to concentrate better at work. Be aware of problems that may affect employee attendance or performance.
- Industrial counseling is an effective area to intervene in many of the socio-emotional problems of the employees. Marital stress, family stress, personal stress, organizational stress, job stress, career stress, etc., are some of the areas in which the human resource managers in the organization can effectively intervene through counseling and support. The counseling intervention can better alleviate the problems of the employees and thereby improve attendance of employees at work. Discusses with all employees' problems of unjustifiable time off. Started a home safety campaign to be extended to children and family members of employees to avoid injuries at home, which in turn affect attendance of employees at work.
- Effective Leave management Program to be developed to support the attendance management program. Under Leave management Program, a bonus for the unused leave should be provided. Indians are enjoying so many holidays. May-June is the season for school admission marriage, etc. Specific leave arrangements to be made in those seasons to control the absence at work. Different religious groups' festivals and rituals to be accommodated with alternative staff arrangements. Promotion and advancement opportunities for those who do not avail of leaves to be encouraged. Strategic decisions as "No Leave" to be taken when the organization has to meet the deadlines of the customers and there is acute competition for the product. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management is to be entertained to curb sick leave. Attempts to discourage spurious sick leave being taken. Quarterly and annually incentive schemes to be developed to reward those who do not have an absent day.
- Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping in contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work.
- Doctors are giving medical certificates and fitness certificates to employees, by paying a lump sum amount of money. Such cases to be legally dealt with, and doctors to be well campaigned against such malpractices. Since such efforts are deliberate on the part of employees, adequate negative reinforcement measures to be taken into account.
- Official warnings as verbal and written to be provided to the absented employees. Formally meet with the employee and explain that income protection is to be used only when an employee is legitimately ill. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level or further disciplinary action will result. Where there is no improvement, a written warning should be issued. Interview the employee again. Show him/her the statistics and point out that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Listen to the employee to see if there is a valid reason and offer any assistance you can. If no satisfactory explanation is given, advise the employee that he/she will be given a written warning. Adequate counseling to be provided in each attempt.
- Tie the successful completion of work objectives to the salary review process. Objectives should include a program-building component as well as focusing on the bottom line. The attendance management team should closely monitor each department, try to get the statistics of the attendance of each worksite or department, and find out those who require encouragement in their effort and those who require warning. Adequate authority to be provided to the Attendance Management Team to take action and for effective interventions since their effort is to support the productivity and quantity and quality of production.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned efforts are some of the corrective/progressive suggestions that help the HR managers to curb absenteeism at work. The community initiatives and septic schemes are the major intervention in the area of attendance management. Develop trust and confidence on the part of employees at work and support them in their socio-emotional affairs are the major objectives behind the attendance management program. The greater the support members feel at their personal and professional realm, the greater their readiness to do the work.
Sincerely,
S. Lakshminaryanan
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
When absenteeism is a threat, currently, HR researchers are of the opinion that presenteeism is an equal threat. Imagine your employees sitting at their workstations throughout the day and wasting resources when they can't do anything. Shouldn't they be better off absent on those days? Presenteeism cannot be considered as the opposite of absenteeism (although few articles suggest so), so it is beneficial to learn and understand the difference yourself.
You can find more information about presenteeism by searching on Wiki and Google. Visit [Presenteeism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presenteeism) for further details.
From India, Bangalore
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You can find more information about presenteeism by searching on Wiki and Google. Visit [Presenteeism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presenteeism) for further details.
From India, Bangalore
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