BY ASHNA CHOWDHRY 12 TALHA SAIT 45 BHARAT MANDORA 33

ASHITA PRIYANKA VARUN

 Absenteeism

can be defined as a constant absence from work. It can lead to suspension from work or termination depending on the circumstances. Managers try to fight absenteeism through disciplinary measures. Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation.

According to the labor force survey, absenteeism has risen extensively in the past years. It is estimated that 700,000 of full time employees, which is about 7% of the total market, were absent for any given week. The absence of these employees was due to illness, disabilities or family obligations. On average about 8.5 days were lost to absenteeism. In the past years it was only 7 days.

Innocent Absenteeism Innocent absenteeism refers to employees who are absent for reasons beyond their control; like sickness and injury. Innocent absenteeism is not culpable which means that it is blameless. In a labor relations context this means that it cannot be remedied or treated by disciplinary measures. Culpable Absenteeism Culpable absenteeism refers to employees who are absent without authorization for reasons which are within their control. For instance, an employee who is on sick leave even though he/she is not sick, and it can be proven that the employee was not sick, is guilty of culpable absenteeism. To be culpable is to be blameworthy. In a labor relations context this means that progressive discipline can be applied. For the large majority of employees, absenteeism is legitimate, innocent absenteeism which occurs infrequently. Procedures for disciplinary action apply only to culpable absenteeism. Many organizations take the view that through the process of individual absentee counseling and treatment, the majority of employees will overcome their problems and return to an acceptable level of regular attendance.

Serious accidents and illness low morale poor working conditions boredom on the job lack of job satisfaction inadequate leadership and poor supervision personal problems (financial, marital, substance abuse, child care etc.) poor physical fitness transportation problems the existence of income protection plans (collective agreement ) benefits which continue income during periods of illness or accident. stress workload employee discontent with the work environment

The reasons for absenteeism are many. The factors contributing to absenteeism from work includes individual and environmental factors. These consists of sickness, accidents, occupational diseases, poor production planning (flow of work), bad working conditions and inadequate welfare conditions, lack of trained laborers, insecurity in employment, collective bargaining process, rigid control system, lack of supervisory support, lack of interest, lack of cohesive and cordial culture and so on. The individual reasons may vary from organization to organization depending upon the organizational climate, employee's attitude and influence of external organizational factors (market forces, social activities that influence the industrial culture prevailing in geographical zone etc.).

 Lost

productivity of the absent employee Overtime for other employees to fill in Decreased overall productivity of those employees Any temporary help costs incurred Possible loss of business or dissatisfied customers Problems with employee morale

Administrative costs associated with rescheduling staff or hiring staff. Payroll costs for temporary staff. Training costs associated with introducing temporary staff to the organization. Reduced productivity - managers may have to shut down departments or reduce operations to compensate for a reduction in staffing levels. Overtime may have to be scheduled to fill positions left by absent staff. Added cost of training supervisors in the cost of absenteeism. Many organization average the total number of absent days and schedule extra staff to cover overstaffing to compensate for the lost productivity. Insurance claims and legal fees associated with absent employees as a result of an accident at work. Cost of time - how much does it cost the company every time an employee is away from their desk due to dentist / doctor appointments. Costs associated with statutory sick pay and the increasing administrative work faced by payroll drive up costs.

Adopting a systematic approach. Creating and coordinating project team. Administering clear tasks and responsibilities. Ensuring the support of senior and line management. Involving employees actively. Involving the personnel department, company medical service or external guidance. showing the employees that you care, you can help lower absenteeism in the work place.

How to control Absenteeism

Ensure that all employees are fully aware of the organizations policies and procedures for dealing with absence, be the first point of contact when an employee phones in sick, maintain appropriately detailed, accurate, and up-todate absence records for their staff, (e.g., date, nature of illness/reason for absence, expected return to work date, doctor's certification if necessary), Identify any patterns or trends of absence which cause concern, conduct return-to-work interviews, and implement disciplinary procedures where necessary.

High collaborative culture. Be aware of problems that may effect employee attendance or performance Develop open communication between managers, supervisors and employees. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns so their perceptions of the work place are clear and can be dealt with. Cooperation with union representatives can be very helpful in attendance management and should be encouraged Regularly scheduled department meetings are an excellent way not only to hear employee perceptions and concerns but also to communicate organizational goals An employee's relationship with their supervisor can greatly influence their feelings about their work, their coworkers and thus their attendance at work More openness and transparency on the part of management. Encourage risk taking and experimentation among members. Make each employee aware that they are a valued member of the "team", that they play an important role in your organization and that their attendance is critical Hold regular meetings, keep your staff informed and involved Know your employees; without prying show an interest in their personal lives Familiarize with community programs which you can recommend to an employee if he/she has a need for assistance (i.e. marital or financial counseling) Awareness, commitment and involvement by all levels of staff Match the attendance records during a period of "high" workload to a period of "normal" workload Bonus for unused sick leave. Official warnings.

Develop a comprehensive and collaborative continuous improvement program throughout the department. Counsel individual employees. Discuss with all employees problems of unjustifiable time off. Bonus work (e.g. Saturday) should not be available to any worker who has been absent during the week. Introduce an incentive scheme to reward those who don't have an absent day. This is measured quarterly and annually. Greater attention by supervisors and more accountability of operations management and other management has improved sick leave. Front line management will be held accountable for attendance management performance. A management structure be engineered to identify and execute objectives relating to absence prevention, disability management and attendance control. Effective training and development program. Effective career planning And development program. Each worksite should develop and maintain an attendance management policy. Employers should track attendance and assign costs based on reliable data. The Attendance Management Team should be given the ability to develop complex case management strategies and aggressively intervene where appropriate. Employees should be encouraged to give as much notice as possible for anticipated absences. Absent employees should be requested to keep contact with their employer. The employer should be informed of any changes in the employee's health status. Employees should be called if they are not keeping contact with the employer. The purpose is to show concern and desire for the employee to regain a healthy status and return to work. In addition to individual counseling make use of family counseling methods.

Verbal Warning: Meet with the employee face to face and talk to them about the problem. Advise the employee that his/her attendance record must improve and be maintained at an improved level. Then let them know that further disciplinary action will be the result. Offer any counseling or guidance that an employee may need only to certain circumstances. Give further verbal warnings as required. Do checks on the employees attendance and make note of noticeable changes. If absenteeism continues then proceed to a written warning. Written Warning: Show the employee the record that you have been keeping track of, that there has been no noticeable (or sufficient) improvement. Give the employee a chance to give their reason for the lack of improvement. If you do not like the reasoning then issue a written warning. Insure the employee is aware of why this warning was given. Then have to copies made, one will go to the employee and the other will go into the employees files. If warnings are not good enough then you may proceed to suspension. Suspension: If the absenteeism persists, after the next interview period and immediately following an absence, the employee should be interviewed and advised that he/she is to be suspended. The length of the suspension will depend on how server the problem has become and the explanation of the employee. the final step which should only be the resort is dismissal. Dismissal: Dismissals should only be considered when all of the above steps and procedures have been met. The employee, upon displaying no satisfactory improvement, would be dismissed on the grounds of his/her unwillingness to correct his/her absence record.

Change Management Style: We are all aware of the fact that when employees call in ill, it does not mean they are truly too physically ill to work. One reason, outside of illness, that employees are absent is stress, and the number one reason employees are stressed has to do with their relationship with their manager/supervisor. Change Working Conditions: The employees in your company probably work in a well-lighted climate controlled building. The working conditions I am referring to relate to coworker relationships. Not only does relationship stress occur between the employee and manager, but it also exists between employees. Provide Incentives: Giving employees incentives for reduced absenteeism is not the same as rewarding or giving employees bonuses for reduced absenteeism. An incentive provides an employee with a boost to their motivation to avoid unnecessary absenteeism. It simply helps the employee decide to go to work versus staying home and watching Jerry Springer. Develop an Attendance Policy: Every company should have an attendance policy. An attendance policy allows a manager to intervene with an employee who is frequently absent. Besides stress as a primary reason for employee absenteeism, other causes relate to alcoholism, domestic violence, and family problems. If you confront an employee about his or her frequent absenteeism, and they inform you it is due to personal problems, consider referring the employee to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

 Labor

turnover refers to the movement of employees in and out of a business. However, the term is commonly used to refer only to wastage or the number of employees leaving. High labor turnover causes problems for business. It is costly, lowers productivity and morale and tends to get worse if not dealt with.

In a human resources context, turnover or labor turnover is the rate at which an employer gains and loses employees. Simple ways to describe it are "how long employees tend to stay" or "the rate of traffic through the revolving door." Turnover is measured for individual companies and for their industry as a whole. If an employer is said to have a high turnover relative to its competitors, it means that employees of that company have a shorter average tenure than those of other companies in the same industry. High turnover can be harmful to a company's productivity if skilled workers are often leaving and the worker population contains a high percentage of novice workers.

Causes of labor turnover Inadequate wage levels leading to employees moving to competitors Poor morale and low levels of motivation within the workforce Recruiting and selecting the wrong employees in the first place, meaning they leave to seek more suitable employment A buoyant local labor market offering more (and perhaps more attractive) opportunities to employees Costs of labor turnover - Additional recruitment costs - Lost production costs - Increased costs of training replacement employees - Loss of know-how and customer goodwill - Potential loss of sales (e.g. if there is high turnover amongst the sales force) - Damage that may be done to morale and productivity (an intangible cost)

Benefits of labor turnover A "natural" level of labor turnover can be a way in which a business can slowly reduce its workforce without having to resort to redundancies (this is often referred to as "natural wastage".

Salary Scale This is the most common cause of the employee turnover rate being so high. Employees are in search of jobs which pay well. If the companies which they are working in don't offer good salaries, they tend to hunt for jobs that pay them considerably well. In order to resolve this problem, the employers should make it a point to offer salaries that would be competitive enough to retain and attract well-qualified and talented personnel. Unsatisfactory performance appraisals is also one of the reasons for employees leaving a company. Benefits Employees always flock to companies who offer more benefits. There are many employees who are not aware of the benefits that are provided to them in their compensation package. The employers need to reduce their bureaucratic procedures in order for the employees to receive the best available benefits without any difficulty. They should make a note of what all benefits other organizations are providing, which may attract their current employees. Advancements and Promotion Policies This is the prime reason why many mid-level executives leave the company. Due to no potential opportunity for advancements or promotions, they prefer other companies which may provide them with higher posts and increased compensation packages. The companies need to evaluate and modify their promotion policies in a fair way which would enable promotions for candidates only on the basis of employee performance. Working Environment This is also one of the main causes for employee turnover. Employees prefer to work in an environment which is suitable for them. This is the most common reason why they jump from company to company in just a few months. If they find an appropriate work environment in a specific company, they may work in the same organization for several years.

Working Procedures The companies should analyze and alter their work procedures and policies in a way which would enable employees to use their full potential and even gain significant work experience. There are many cases where employees have left the company due to no projects or assignments which do not require their full potential. Employees would certainly leave if their don't get experience and are just placed on the 'bench'.

Job mismatch: the right people, but in the wrong job for their talents Poor job engagement Inadequate training in critical skills for the job Inadequate compensation plans, including incentive plans for salespeople Lack of employee motivation, Work pressure, Job stress, Partiality and favoritism, Employee egos Attitudes, Family Pressure to Quit Job Work hazards, Females Transportation - Home far from Work Poor employee management,

 Estimate

how much your present turnover is costing you, and how much you can save by reducing it Find out why employees are leaving Select the right people for the job Identify employees with talents suited to managerial and leadership development Identify critical skill training needs to help keep employees engaged

Don't hire out of desperation. Do not just hire an employee because you needed someone to fill the position yesterday. That is what temporary employees are for. If you are looking for someone to fill the position long term, it is best to take some time to do your research. Gather as much information as you can about a job applicant. Information you would need is contact information for personal and business references, a list of past and present employers, social security number, birth date and more. These items will help you complete reference checks and to perform background checks to find out about any past criminal activity. Call on a reference. You are never too busy for that. Offer skill testing. If you want to decrease employee turn-around, you can perform skill tests on your job applicants. You can either do this directly through your human resource department or you can contract this responsibility out to a job placement agency. This is one of the tools that will help you determine whether you have found the best fit for each position your company has open. Not only that, but it also cuts down on your new applicant recruitment costs. Every company has some form of testing or verification. Have a competition with it or an incentive. Profile For Temperament. Each job description should include a consideration of the social aspects of the job. Is the job task oriented or people oriented? Does the job require much interaction with the public? With other co-workers? Temperament profiles can predict which people are best suited for different types of work. Placing people with the right temperament for a particular job can go a long way toward creating stability. Pay competitive. If you've gone through the trouble of finding great candidates, you want to make sure you can persuade them to come on board and have them stay. Money is not the number one reason people come to a company or leave a company. Show appreciation. Many employees almost always know when they are doing a job wrong. However, these same employees very rarely ever hear from their employers when they are doing their job right. Encourage your employees by saying kind words to them, and telling how much of a good job they are doing. If you do that, they will be more likely to accept any words of advice on how to improve their work later on. Level the workload. Employees often leave companies because they feel overworked. It's frequently less expensive to hire an additional person, even part-time, than it is to replace a seasoned staff member. Often we complain about an individuals performance but no action is taken. That hurts existing employee morale as well. Hold regular review sessions. When employees are closely attached to their management team, they are more likely to feel involved. More involved employees tend to perform at a higher level and are more likely to achieve longer tenure. Talk to your employees. Keep them informed of new policies and procedures. Don't keep secrets. An informed and educated employee is much more effective.