03-08-2012, 02:20 PM
EMPLOYEE ABSENTEEISM: STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING AN ATTENDANCE-ORIENTED CORPORATE CULTURE
EMPLOYEE ABSENTEEISM STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING AN ATTENDANCE-ORIENTED CORPORATE ......pdf (Size: 213.9 KB / Downloads: 29)
A Critical Issue for Human Resource Policy Planners
The absenteeism issue is becoming all the more critical
because of changes in the composition of the
workforce and changes in societal expectations vis-avis
work. The workforce of today is characterized by
an aging population, an increase in the proportion of
dual earners, a greater incidence of single parents and
the higher participation rate of women.
Results from a recent Statistics Canada survey showed
absences from work increasing steadily from 1977 to
1991 for both men and women in all occupations. One
factor responsible for the increase in absences revealed
by these statistics is the aging Canadian workforce. But
most of the increase is due to absences for personal
reasons, a trend linked directly to the growing entry of
women into the workforce and, in particular, according
to Ernest Akyeampong, Chief, Labour Force Activity
Section, Labour and Household Surveys Analysis
Division, Statistics Canada, the increased presence of
women with preschool children.1
The implication of these developments is clear. The
very nature of absenteeism is changing, and absences
related to personal/family demands are on the rise.
Employee absence from work in the 1990s is often
linked to factors not in existence when traditional
policies were developed. In particular, the higher
incidence of dual earners and single parents is a new
phenomenon, one generally not taken into account by
many now-outdated policies. For these reasons,
absenteeism has become a policy issue.
Reasons for Employees' Absence from Work
Laurence Kelly, President, IR Research Services, an
independent research and publishing firm, is a
recognized Canadian expert on this topic. Kelly
stresses the importance and interrelationship of
employee-related and job-related causes of
absenteeism. Among these, several deserve particular
attention.
An Aging Population
Specifically, older workers are generally
acknowledged to have an increased propensity for
certain types of illness or injury. For example, jobrelated
back injuries tend to be more prevalent among
older age categories of employees than among their
younger counterparts.
Attitude Towards Work
The "entitlement" philosophy prevailing among some
employees, coupled with the lack of understanding of
what the employer-employee work contract really
entails, may lead to abuse of sick leave provisions.
Personal/Family Responsibilities
The current situation, where the majority of parents are
employed in the workplace, creates difficulties in
balancing work and non-work responsibilities,
especially for women, to whom society still assigns the
primary family caregiving role. Difficulties that
periodically arise to interrupt attendance at work might
include the need to care for a sick child or to take an
elderly relative to a medical appointment.
Stress
For many employees, work in the 1990s is
characterized by fast-changing technology, increased
workloads and job insecurity. The impact of stress on
sickness and absenteeism is receiving increasing
attention. For instance, a survey of employers done by
the Canadian Institute of Stress and the Ontario
Ministry of Labour found that 26 per cent of
absenteeism is believed to be linked to stress.2 But
establishing cause and effect is complicated, as it is
often difficult to distinguish between job-related stress
and lifestyle stress. As it is known that lasting
improvement in attendance behaviour can come from
addressing the root causes of dysfunctional stress,
finding an appropriate corporate response becomes a
challenging—but often impossible—task for
employers.
The Absenteeism-Health Policy Link
A fifth, overriding factor that ought not to be
overlooked when discussing employee absenteeism is
health policy. To some employees, the dollar benefits
of not working may be nearly as attractive as those
received from working. Without examining other
cause-effect variables, it seems apparent that a high
level (80 or 90 per cent) of salary received through
long-term disability (LTD) or workers' compensation
might provide a strong disincentive to return to work.
A well-known example of apparent abuse of a
generous national health insurance system is found in
Sweden. Prior to 1991, Sweden's absenteeism rate was
25 days per person per year; half of all absences lasted
no more than three days. In March 1991, state-paid
benefits for the first three days of illness were reduced
by one-quarter, with subsequent benefits (to 90 days)
cut by one-tenth. In the first month after reform, 20 per
cent fewer absences were reported. This suggests that,
nationally, health benefit reforms can have a direct
effect on absenteeism rates.3
In recent years, sharply escalating costs have focused
the attention of both business and government on the
issue of health-related absences from work. In Canada,
workers' compensation is now a major cost issue.
Revenue received by Canada's workers' compensation
boards in 1992 is estimated to be $6 billion, with debts
totaling more than double that amount.4
In Quebec, officials of the Commission de la santé et
securité du travail (CSST) had proposed raising
premiums by 31 per cent to help offset the plan's large
deficit, which was blamed on rising medical and
rehabilitation costs and lengthy recovery periods for
workplace accidents.5 To illustrate the extent of the
problem, while the number of accident claims for 1992
was estimated at the time to fall by 12 per cent, the
average duration of the indemnity period was projected
to last 76.3 days, 16.5 days longer than originally
anticipated.6
Under revisions to workers' compensation legislation
being made or planned in several provincial
jurisdictions, individual employers will assume greater
cost accountability, as premium assessment will be
directly tied to the organization's compensation claim
experience. The role and responsibility of the medical
community in combating rising health care costs also
deserve scrutiny. In commenting on the perceived main
cause of an absenteeism problem at her organization,
one Conference Board survey respondent pointed a
finger at "government benefit levels that pay close of
100 per cent of normal wages and a medical profession
that readily supports time off work, despite the
company's modified duty programs".