"...We have tried several times to reduce our excessive absenteeism
experience from 12% to
6% –without success. What things would you suggest to get us where we want to
be?"
MS - Internet
THE INDUSTRY ADVISORABSENTEEISM – CAUSES AND CURES
By Gene Levine - http://www.genelevine.com
a. Why is . . .
My first suggestion is that your absenteeism goal should be 3 percent instead of 6 percent per annum. Although it probably will require some serious commitments on your part, it certainly is an achievable goal.
But before we begin any analysis, a definition of absence must be established. For the purpose of this column, an absence refers to time an employee is not on the job during scheduled working hours, except for a granted leave of absence, holiday or vacation time. Using the standard U.S. Department of Labor formula, an absenteeism is calculated by dividing the number of working days lost through absence in any given period by the total number of available working days in that same period, as follows:
Absenteeism Rate = Number of lost working days due to absence x 100
(Number of employees) x (Number of workdays)For Example:
a. Average number of employees in workforce . . . 100
b. Number of available workdays during period . . . 20
c. Total number of available workdays (a x b) . . . 2,000
d. Total number of lost days due to absences during the period . . . 93
e. Absenteeism percent (d. ¸ c.) x 100 = 4.65%
I like to think of absenteeism as a disease that appears whenever a company fails to inoculate itself through the use of sound management practices. To cure excessive absenteeism, one has to know the exact causes and then examine the available, workable and proven solutions to apply against those causes.*
Establishing the Basic Facts
To embark upon a successful absenteeism reduction program, you need to make sure you have some basic information and facts about absenteeism in your company. Consider the following questions, and as you begin to dig for the answers, you likely will become aware of many ways to address your problems.
Are absences recorded in each employee’s permanent record by the following categories?
- Are absences recorded in each employee’s permanent record by:
In your opinion, which of the following reasons are apparently responsible for absenteeism in your Company (check as many as you deem applicable)?
Yes No Yes No Reason ___ ___ Vacation ___ ___ Shift ___ ___ Work or material shortage ___ ___ Day of Week ___ ___ Leave of Absence ___ ___ Holiday ___ ___ Advance permission ___ ___ Payday ___ ___ No reason given ___ ___ Partial day’s absence ___ ___ Supervisor’s name ___ ___
Yes No Yes No Long hours ___ ___ Travel distance to job ___ ___ Low wages ___ ___ Child care and schools ___ ___ Improper job placement ___ ___ Eating facilities ___ ___ Job shopping ___ ___ Sub-standard working conditions ___ ___ Not enough work ___ ___ Uneven flow of work ___ ___ Unfair supervisors ___ ___ Management-labor relations ___ ___ Poor safety conditions ___ ___ Worker morale ___ ___ Work too heavy, hot, cold ___ ___ Under-trained supervision ___ ___ Ventilation and heating ___ ___ Failure to understand importance of being "on the job" ___ ___ Boring work ___ ___ Lack of transportation ___ ___ Are employees interviewed after each absence and before theyYes No
return to work? ___ ___
Is a weekly summary report of facts, causes and actions taken given
to top management? ___ ___
- Final questions: Your honest answers to these five -(5) pertinent
questions will help you better understand the discussion, viable
cures, ideas and proven suggestions that follow those answers.
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