Absenteeism within the Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Absenteeism within the Work Place - Essay Example Researchers as well as practitioners are also performing their part to find a remedy that can at least reduce employee absenteeism and thereby improve the productivity and savings in cost. It is known commonly that absenteeism results in cost and productivity problems, puts extra burden on other employees, and ultimately affects adversely customer satisfaction and the country's economy. It has been observed through many studies that lack of absenteeism results in better quality, lower costs, and greater productivity (Hazzard, 1990). Absenteeism is pervasive in all organization irrespective of size, type and nature. However, it is higher in manufacturing organizations. Research supports both reward and punitive mechanism of destructing absenteeism and helping organizations meet its demand to various stakeholders. The present study is an attempt to suggest some solutions to this mounting problem of workers absenteeism. The study basically aims to assess the reasons of absenteeism among the selected sample respondents from industrial background. It also attempts to understand the impact of unauthorized absenteeism on productivity and cost of production and ultimately on profit. The study takes a descriptive as well as explorative approach where in attempt is made by the researcher to describe the various factors responsible for employee absenteeism and to explore the relationship between variables.... It also covers studies and publications on remedial measures of absenteeism adopted by employers and those suggested by researchers and practitioners. As already mentioned, absenteeism is a universal phenomenon. However, it is mostly seen in the manufacturing/industrial sectors. It has been observed that employee absenteeism is higher in manufacturing organisations than in any other areas (Hazzard, 1990). It has also been understood that it is higher in union settings than in nonunion settings. Another significant study concludes that absenteeism is more common among women than men as women are more sensitive to family needs (Dunn and Youngblood, 1986). Another interesting finding is that absenteeism is high among unmarried than among married workers. The reason for the same observed is that married employees find more financial pressure than single employees and as such there is less chance of employees taking unscheduled leaves (Drago and Wooden, 1992). The studies undertaken so far to explore the reasons for/ factors responsible for employee absenteeism vary one to another. However, one common conclusion among studies across industries and countries is that employee unscheduled absenteeism should be restricted and given due importance as it will serious repercussions on productivity and profitability. Steers and Rhodes (1984) claim that employee attendance is determined by two factors, basically, (a) employee's motivation to attend, and (b) the employee's ability to attend. The first factor is concerned with the organizational factors that stimulate employees to attend for the work. These factors include cordial working