Any savings in the cost of absence can
be set against the introduction of other
benefits, such as occupational health,
counseling and health education. Savings
will also be obvious in improved
productivity and from not having to pay
for cover for absent staff.
Unquantifiable benefits of the
management of attendance include
improved morale and motivation, and
hence increased productivity, adding
value to the organisation.
Absence includes:
- certificated or uncertified
sickness absence
- long-term sickness
- unauthorised absence and
persistent unauthorised lateness.
Quantifiable costs include:
- the cost of occupational sick
pay
- the cost of temporary staff
brought in to cover for the absence
- the costs of overtime payments.
Hidden costs include:
- those arising from
administration
- increased pressure on colleagues
who cover for the absentee, with a
potential increase in stress,
lowering of morale and job
satisfaction and, in the longer
term, lower productivity generally;
Measuring Absence.
Measuring absences gives indications
about the scale of the problem in the
workplace, the type of absence that is
dominant and where in the workplace the
biggest attendance problems occur.
Managers can then use this information
to manage attendance positively.
The average absence in a workplace is
normally measured as a percentage of
hours lost per week or per month: total
number of hours of absence x 100 = %
lost.
Reasons for Absence.
Although the main reason for absence
is usually given as sickness, other
underlying factors can contribute to the
problem of persistent short-term
absences. This sort of absence may occur
for the following reasons.
The individual may experience
problems with management (management
style, personality traits) or a
colleague; there may be a poor
performance issue; there may be
frustration with the job content; the
job may be perceived as too stressful;
or the individual may not be
intrinsically motivated to work.
The culture of the organisation may
influence attendance, for example the
employee may feel unseen, not valued or
treated as an individual; work may be
inefficiently organised, leading to
frequent changes and confusion; absence
may be felt to be tolerated and the
policy and procedures to deal with
absence may be unclear.
The working environment may
contribute to pushing up absence, for
example excessive heat, cold, noise,
type of equipment available to do the
job, peaks and troughs in the work.
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