Causes of Workplace Absenteeism

Do mention whats the possible cause of the absenteeism, the impact of the absenteeism on the organisation and a solution to improve this. Please also mention motivation, job satisfaction, individuals behaviours, personality.

Workplace Absenteeism is one of the most common issues faced by the employers. It is related to the employee’s absenteeism in the organization. Workplace Absenteeism is a habitual absence of the employees from the work. It is evaluated that employers expect employees to take a break from the number of working days each year but excessive absence can result in less productivity and can give negative impact on the profitability of the organization. Workplace Absenteeism is a part of the organizational behavior. Organization behavior focuses on the working pattern of the employees and also with the management of the workers.  Organization behavior is considered for human resource purposes so that the level of productivity can be increased.

Bullying and harassment

When the employees of the organization are bullied by the managers or the leaders then it can result in the increase of the workplace absenteeism.  In this situation the employees feel demotivated and are not satisfied with the job.  If the employees are bullied and harassed then it can give negative impact on the overall productivity and profitability of the organization (Ramely and Ahmad, 2017).

Workload

The major cause of the Workplace Absenteeism is due to heavy workloads and stressful meetings. It creates a feeling of not being appreciated and can cause workers to avoid going to work.  When the employees are stressed with the workload then it can increase workplace absenteeism (Reeve, 2014.).

Depression

Depression is also the leading cause of Workplace Absenteeism. If the individual is depressed then it can be difficult to conduct the activities of the organization in an effective manner. It can lead to abuse and also make employees addicted towards drugs or alcohol. Individual behavior plays a great role. Every employee has a different way to deal with the situation. So, if they are addicted then they are not able to concentrate on the job and can cause Workplace Absenteeism (Trépanier et al., 2015).

Illness and Injuries

 The most common reason for missing work is injuries, illness, and medical appointments.  It is evaluated that every year during cold and flu season there is an increase in the Workplace Absenteeism rates for the part-time and full-time employees.  Accidents can also give direct impact on the working pattern of the employees. Injuries like back pain and neck pain are the most common cause of the absenteeism of the employees (Kocakulah et al., 2016).

Impact of Workplace Absenteeism

Partial Shifts

Arriving late, leaving early and taking longer breaks are known as one of the forms of Workplace Absenteeism. It can give direct impact on productivity and workplace morale. The issue is seen when the employees are not able to let management know about their shifts.  It is seen that partial shifts can increase Workplace Absenteeism.

Impact on the Productivity

Absenteeism can give direct impact on the productivity level of the individual.  It is seen that if the employee conducts the activities inefficiently than the productivity level is also reduced. If the employees are not efficient in conducting the activities of the organization then it can be difficult to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization. So the overall impact will be on the organization as the overall productivity will be reduced (Katzenbach and Smith, 2015).

Impact on the profitability

Absenteeism can give impact on the profitability of the organization in two ways. First, the enhanced costs will reduce the profit margin unless the revenue increases.

Like for instance: If the organization is spending money on giving pay to the employees who are doing overtime then direct cost increases and profit margins are reduced.  Secondly, Absenteeism can also reduce revenue if workers with their roles are not present.  The employees who are engaged in conducting the activities like manufacturing, sales have very less time to attain goals when absent so that impact will be analyzed on decrease revenue.   The impact of Individual behavior plays a great role. Every employee has a different way to deal with the situations.  So, if the employees do not deal effectively then the direct impact is seen on the profitability of the organization.

Impact on Team performance

Absenteeism also gives impact on the overall team performance. If there is a team of 5 people and 2 or 1 member is absent then it can delay the work or can impact the overall results. It is seen that due to this conflicts also arises between the employees and the management. To increase the overall efficiency it is important that every employee of the group should be present to conduct the activities smoothly.  Absenteeism can also impact the productivity of the supervisors. One of the negative impacts of Absenteeism on the employee experience is that the added workload that other employees have to face due to the employees who are not available to conduct the activities (Grubb, 2015).

Remedies for Workplace Absenteeism

Motivation

To reduce employee’s absenteeism it is important to give motivation so that they can work with dedication towards the work.  The organization should also adopt Herzberg’s two-factor theory so that the employees can feel satisfied with the activities that are assigned. In the Herzberg’s two factor theory there are two factors. One of the factors is motivator factor that leads to increase in the satisfaction level and also motivate the workers to work efficiently. The second factor is related to the hygiene factor that can result in dissatisfaction to the workers if proper wages is not given (Elliot et al., 2017). So, it is essential to give proper wages to the employees according to the activities conducted. It can help to enhance overall productivity and profitability of the organization and can also reduce employees Absenteeism (Miner, 2015).

Individual behavior and personality

The organization should also take into consideration the behavior of the employee and their personality so that the activities can be assigned accordingly. If the individual is not satisfied with the work and then also the work is assigned then it can give the negative outcome.  So, it is essential to understand the satisfaction level of the employees related to the job. The activities should be assigned according to the interest of the employees, and then only the company will attain overall goals and objectives and reduce the workplace Absenteeism (Cummings and Worley, 2014).

Communication

Communication is also an essential factor to reduce the rate of absenteeism in the workplace.  Managers or leaders should communicate properly with the subordinates so that they can feel comfortable and can share their views properly. An open door policy is an important part of effective communication in reducing the employee absenteeism. If the environment is created where the employees can easily approach then issues can be easily resolved.

Positive reinforcement

Every company should follow the proper attendance policy in the workplace so that the employees can follow it in a proper way.  Positive reinforcement gives encouragement to the workers to strive for attendance by taking into consideration real policy.  Small perks or bonuses should be offered to the employees who are following the policy effectively (Zeb et al., 2014).

Flexible scheduling

The organization should also consider flexible scheduling to cut down the Absenteeism in the workplace. If there is a proper accountability system in the place then flexible working environment can be created and it will also give direct impact on the overall profitability of the organization. In the recent scenario, the working environment is based on 24/7. So, allowing employees to adopt any shift they want can reduce the workplace Absenteeism. It will help the employee to create a better balance between their home and work lives. Timings are one of the major factors that are related to the workplace Absenteeism. As every employee has a different mindset to conduct the activities of the organization. If proper timings are given to the employees they can easily complete the activities that are assigned (Burke, 2017).

Conclusion

So, by analyzing the report it is concluded that workplace Absenteeism is the most common issue faced by the employers.   The causes of Workplace Absenteeism are Bullying and harassment, workload, depression, Illness and Injuries, partial shifts. So it is essential to reduce it as it enhances the satisfaction level of the employees and also gives motivation so that they can work efficiently. The workplace Absenteeism also gives impact on the team performance, profitability and productivity.

So, in the last phase of the report, the Remedies for Workplace Absenteeism are explained that are important for every organization to consider so that the activities can be conducted effectively.  It is evaluated that the organization should adopt Herzberg’s two-factor theory so that the employees can feel satisfied with the activities that are assigned. Workplace absenteeism can be reduced if proper communication is done with the employees of the organization. If the organization gives proper motivation to the employees then the productivity and job satisfaction level of the employees can be enhanced effectively.  So, at last, it is essential for every organization to minimize workplace Absenteeism, so that overall goals and objectives can be conducted effectively.

References

Burke, W.W., 2017. Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization development and change. Cengage learning.

Elliot, A.J., Dweck, C.S. and Yeager, D.S. eds., 2017. Handbook of Competence and Motivation: Theory and Application. Guilford Publications.

Grubb, M.D., 2015. Behavioral consumers in industrial organization: An overview. Review of Industrial Organization, 47(3), pp.247-258.

Katzenbach, J.R. and Smith, D.K., 2015. The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. Harvard Business Review Press.

Kocakulah, M.C., Kelley, A.G., Mitchell, K.M. and Ruggieri, M.P., 2016. Absenteeism problems and costs: causes, effects and cures. The International Business & Economics Research Journal, 15(3), p.89.

Miner, J.B., 2015. Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge.

Ramely, A.B. and Ahmad, Y., 2017. Attributors of Workplace Bullying: Cleaning Workforces’ Perspective. Journal of Administrative Science Special Edition: Socio-Economic Issue, 14(3).

Reeve, J., 2014. Understanding motivation and emotion. John Wiley & Sons.

Trépanier, S.G., Fernet, C. and Austin, S., 2015. A longitudinal investigation of workplace bullying, basic need satisfaction, and employee functioning. Journal of occupational health psychology, 20(1), p.105.

Zeb, A., Rehman, S., Saeed, G. and Ullah, H.A., 2014. Study of the Relationship between Reward and Recognition and employees Job Satisfaction: A Literature Review. Abasyn Journal Of Social Sciences, 7(2), pp.278-291.