How Have You Successfully Reduced Absenteeism Among Operators in Your Organization?

Can any of you give examples of how you were able to bring down the absenteeism rate (unscheduled leaves) of the operators? Also, is there any survey standard to determine what is a normal absenteeism rate in an assembly organization?

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Dear all,

Further to my query raised, I have found a few useful pieces of information on curbing the absenteeism of unscheduled leaves. As per industrial standards, 3% is considered normal for any organization to take into account as unplanned leaves. There are various types of unplanned leave takers:

1. Sick leave takers - These are individuals who tend to take leave on either Friday or Monday, citing common health problems such as gastritis, flu, headache, and back pain.
2. Real health problems - Organizations can work on finding the reasons for these health issues and provide help as a corporate social responsibility to society.

According to the statistics, on average, these unplanned leave takers can result in a 1.6% excess on the total direct manpower cost and are usually found more among blue-collar job holders with lower pay. This issue can be addressed by providing counseling to employees upon their return to work, which has been proven to help achieve a 60%-70% reduction in unplanned absenteeism, thereby assisting the organization in reducing overheads. The amount that can be saved in a year is significant, depending on the absentee rate at your organization.

Regards,
Thotesh

Hi,

Monotony in work conditions, i.e., the same routine work in the workforce, leads to more absenteeism in the present industrial sector. This phenomenon is prevalent across all classes of the workforce, from white-collar to labor force. Over-bossiness causes more absences. A friendly atmosphere, motivation, and good spirit can reduce the rate of absenteeism in any industry. Unfortunately, we seldom find this in the Indian industrial sector, except for the corporate sector. Recognizing and rewarding the best-performing workers can lead to healthy competition in the workforce and reduce absenteeism. Understanding the workers, their behavior, and assisting those in need at the right time can also help decrease absenteeism. Acknowledging teamwork and minimizing bossiness can further reduce absenteeism.

Mohan Rao
H.R. Manager

I have an employee who has had problems with being absent. Could you give pointers on a corrective action plan? I want to help this person, not fire.

Hi,

During counseling, investigate the reasons for the organization's desire to reduce absenteeism so that corrective measures can be implemented. Some potential measures include:

1. Providing bus passes to employees.
2. Establishing a small medical treatment room for employees.
3. Offering breakfast/lunch at a subsidized rate for employees.

Further ideas can be added as well.

Sitaraman
Sr. Manager