Credo Reference

Absenteeism
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Absenteeism can be defined as any failure on the part of the employee to report to work when
scheduled to do so. This includes absences that occur for any reason, whether involuntary or
voluntary. Here, involuntary absenteeism refers to unavoidable illnesses and injuries that prevent an
employee from attending to their work obligations. Voluntary absenteeism, on the other hand,
includes unplanned absences to look after sick dependents, but can also be the outcome of
boredom and/or low job satisfaction.

Unauthorized absenteeism represents a major cost for organizations all over the globe. Although
individual incidents of absenteeism are fairly innocuous, the cumulative impact can be substantial.
The impact on the North American economy alone is estimated to be in excess of $60 million. The
obvious costs are those associated with the absentees themselves and includes their regular pay
and benefits. Beyond this are the costs related to replacement labor, overtime, and lost productivity.
There are also several flow-on effects that impact other workers in the organization, including the
increased workload and stress experienced by staff members who are required to compensate for
the absent coworker. Understaffing or work overload may in turn increase the risk of workplace
accidents and reduce the amount of output and the quality produced. There are also additional
time and financial costs associated with extra supervision and training of temporary staff. Studies
reveal that the costs of absenteeism may in fact be higher than the amount of work time lost due to
industrial disputes.

The two key factors attributed to high levels of absenteeism are ability to attend and motivation to
attend. The variables that affect an employee's ability to attend work are often beyond the control
of organizations. An employee's motivation to attend work, on the other hand, includes variables
such as employee morale and satisfaction-factors that are within the control of the organization. A
number of studies have shown that organizations that experience high levels of absenteeism also
tend to experience issues related to staff morale. Industrial disputes tend also to be greater, as well
as the costs associated with workers compensation. Overall, there is an important link between
absence and factors such as poor interpersonal communication, job boredom, and poor supervisory
skills. Furthermore, there is significant evidence to suggest that a large proportion of absences are
potentially avoidable.

A 2005 study on U.S. human resources executives found that personal illnesses accounted for only
35 percent of unscheduled absences from work. Most absences were due to other reasons,
including family issues (21 percent), personal needs (18 percent), entitlement mentality (14 percent),
and stress (12 percent). Studies also confirm that absenteeism is a low base rate behavior. In other
words, absenteeism is most typically associated with a small number of people who are absent
often.
Surveys conducted on absenteeism indicate that those on higher rates of pay and with longer
length of service are less likely to be absent. Furthermore, absenteeism rates tend to grow as an
organization grows. Other statistics relating to absenteeism suggest that women tend to be absent
more frequently than men and younger employees are absent more frequently than older
employees. When older employees are absent, it tends to be for longer periods of time than
younger employees. Absenteeism rates also tend to be much higher in unionized workplaces.

Reduction Strategies
Due to the costs and associated flow-on effects, organizations have pursued many strategies to
reduce absenteeism. Most of these measures have been designed to improve employees' quality of
work life and levels of job satisfaction, because it is generally accepted that the control of
absenteeism depends partly on successfully addressing the physical and emotional needs of
employees. These measures are also based on the assumption that absenteeism is the result of
employee withdrawal from dissatisfying aspects of the job. The implementation of a
highperformance work culture has been one particular strategy utilized by organizations, with a
particular emphasis on ensuring employees have an adequate “fit” in the organization.

Other organizations have pursued more flexible work practices that meet the needs of both the
organization and its employees. Such measures are based on the assumption that absenteeism is
due to the inadequacies associated with existing arrangements, and that the curbing of absences
requires providing employees with greater control over when and where they work. The initiatives
that have been found to be most successful in reducing levels of unscheduled absences are the
implementation of alternative work arrangements, compressed work weeks, job sharing, and
telecommuting.

Job redesign has also been the focus of many human resource initiatives aimed at combating
absenteeism. Measures such as job enlargement, job rotation, and job enrichment have the impact
of increasing the scope of jobs and the skills required to perform them, thus making a typically
routine and mundane task more interesting and challenging. Organizations have also implemented
more preventative occupational health and safety strategies in order to minimize absences related
to workers compensation.

While absenteeism has historically been viewed as an indicator of the adjustment of employees to
the workplace, there has been limited attention paid to the social context within which such
adjustments occur. The last two decades, however, have been defined by an increased
consciousness of the implications of social context on absence behaviors. The emphasis on the
social approach has emerged through observations into absenteeism in organizations; in particular,
the variations in absence rates across different units and social groups within departments,
departments within organizations, and organizations within industries. This has led some
researchers to suggest the presence of absence cultures in certain organizational contexts.

See also
Employer-Employee Relations, Job Enrichment, Motivation
 Bibliography

Buschak, M., Cravem, C., and Ledman, R., “Managing Absenteeism for Great Productivity,” SAM
Advanced Management Journal ( (1996).).
Isherwood, R., “The Financial Effects of Absence from Work,” Bulletin of Industrial Psychology
and Personnel Practice ( (1952).).
Steers, R. M. and Rhodes, S. R., “Major Influences on Employee Attendance: A Process Model,”
Journal of Applied Psychology ( (1978).).
Thomas, J. C. and Hersen, M., A Handbook of Mental Health in the Workplace ( Sage, 2002.).

Citation Information:

Hannif, and Zeenobiyah Hannif. “Absenteeism.” Encyclopedia of Business in Today’s World, edited by
Charles Wankel, 1st ed., Sage Publications, 2009. Credo Reference,
https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6OTczNzAz?aid=238920.

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