Addressing Persistent Monday Absenteeism in a Labor-Intensive FRP Manhole Cover Manufacturing Company

Hello, I am currently employed at a Fibre-reinforced Plastic (FRP) manhole cover manufacturing company, where the work is largely labour-intensive. We are facing a recurring issue with worker absenteeism, particularly on Mondays. Despite issuing warnings and imposing penalties, these measures have not resulted in a significant reduction in Monday absenteeism.

Understanding that your company is dealing with a recurring issue of Monday absenteeism, despite warnings and penalties, indicates that a deeper issue may be at play here. The first step would be to investigate the reasons for the absenteeism. You can do this through anonymous surveys or direct communication with the employees.

There might be various reasons for the problem, such as health issues due to the labor-intensive nature of the work, personal responsibilities, or lack of motivation. If the problem is health-related, you could consider revising the work schedule or providing additional safety training. For personal issues, you might think about offering flexible working hours or work-from-home options, if feasible.

If the issue is lack of motivation, you could implement strategies to boost morale. This could include team-building activities, recognition for good work, or even small perks or bonuses. You could also consider implementing a policy where employees get every alternate Monday off, which may reduce the temptation to take unauthorized absences.

Remember to consult the relevant labor laws when implementing these changes to ensure that you're compliant. For example, https://www.labour.nic.in provides a comprehensive guide to labor laws in India.

Another strategy could be to provide incentives for regular attendance. For instance, you could offer a bonus or additional paid time off for employees who maintain a certain attendance record. However, it's important that these incentives are implemented fairly and do not inadvertently penalize employees who have legitimate reasons for their absences.

Lastly, it could be beneficial to provide training to supervisors on how to manage absenteeism effectively. This could include strategies for motivating employees, handling personal issues, and recognizing when an employee may be struggling.

Remember, it's important to create a positive work environment where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute to the best of their abilities. This will not only reduce absenteeism but also improve overall productivity and job satisfaction.

Dear member,

Absenteeism among blue-collar workers has been a challenge for a long time. It is not today's challenge. However, to tide it over, we need to do the absenteeism analysis. You can do it on the following counts:

a) Is absenteeism restricted to the selected few workers, or is it across the board?
b) What is the gender divide among the absentees?
c) Which age group is absent the most?
d) Is alcoholism a cause of the Monday absenteeism?
e) Have the workers migrated from the nearby villages or towns? Do they go to their hometown on Sundays?
f) What are the average working hours? Do they exceed nine hours per day?
g) Which part of their job is strenuous? Is there scope to reduce their strain?

Additionally, on Tuesday or Wednesday, when the absent workers report for duty, try to know the cause of their absence either directly or indirectly. The investigation of the cause is expected to give insight into absenteeism.

Apart from this, you need to use the techniques of operations management as well. Have you prepared the process map of all the operational activities? If not, then map them and find out whether there is a process overlap. Secondly, find out whether the activities are arranged in sequence. Do brainstorming and find out means to minimise the workers' movements. The means could include the purchase of the hand trolleys and identifying the scope to merge or demerge the activities.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

The Thermoset HR,
We control or maintain order in an establishment by adopting policy.
1. To bring out motivation establishment adopt to reward employees.
2. The management adopt financial and disciplinary punishment.
3. The employees take advantage of slackness in leave policy and rules. Thus frame new rules and policy in place of old one.
4. The Monday absenteeism can be controlled by adopting the policy of double absent, if does not resume duty after weekly off day.
5. Adopt the policy of leave for Monday considered from Sunday.
6. Fix some rewards for Monday attendance. Free food/Gift/reward cash point calculating your loss happens for the absenteeism.
7.The punishment for un authorised absent and leave without sanction as your management feel comfortable for their establishment.
9. Our sole aim is to achieve the monthly target fixed for and quantity per employee. Bring the process under piece rate after a detailed time study and motion study.
10. You need to check, you are operating in less manpower than actual requirement. The monotonous nature of job too the cause of absenteeism.
11. Conduct an external work place audit/survey because people don't speak out and internally we are overlooking the cause considering negligible.
12. Conduct training program for employee and their spouse through Central Workers Education Board because will not put financial impact on establishment and also pay your staff,if a tangible faculty.

Addressing Monday Absenteeism

Your issue with Monday absenteeism in a labour-intensive, Fibre-reinforced Plastic (FRP) manhole cover manufacturing company is not uncommon. It's crucial to address this issue as it can impact production and overall employee morale.

You've mentioned some measures such as warnings and penalties, which haven't resulted in a significant reduction in absenteeism. Let's consider a few other strategies:

1. Review Current Policies: Revisit your current leave and attendance policies. Tighten any loopholes that employees might be exploiting. If your policy is too lax, it may encourage absenteeism.

2. Double Absent Policy: Consider a policy where if an employee does not resume duty after their weekly off day, it is considered as two days of absence. This could deter employees from taking off on Mondays.

3. Rewards for Attendance: Introduce rewards for employees who maintain a certain level of attendance. This could be in the form of free food, gifts, or cash incentives. However, ensure this is done fairly and transparently.

4. Audit or Survey: Conduct an external workplace audit or survey to identify any issues that may be causing absenteeism. Employees may not be comfortable sharing certain issues internally, and an external survey could bring these issues to light.

5. Training Programs: Organize training programs for employees and their spouses through the Central Workers Education Board. This will not put a financial impact on your establishment and also pay your staff if a tangible faculty.

6. Staffing Levels: Ensure you are not operating with less manpower than required. Overworking staff can lead to burnout and absenteeism.

7. Job Variety: The monotonous nature of the job could be a cause of absenteeism. Consider introducing job rotation or other ways to add variety to the work.

Remember, it's important to communicate any new policies or changes clearly and effectively to all employees. Also, make sure any new policies comply with local labor laws. You can check the relevant laws at https://labour.gov.in.

Lastly, always approach the issue of absenteeism with understanding and compassion. There could be legitimate reasons behind an employee's absence, such as health issues or personal problems. It's important to balance firmness with empathy in such situations.