Hello everyone,
I just joined this group. I am working on a project about absenteeism, focusing on its causes and measures to control it. To begin, my boss wants me to come up with a format for collecting data from employees every day. I would be very grateful if anyone could suggest ideas on how to structure it.
Regards,
Pavitra
From India, Coimbatore
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1I just joined this group. I am working on a project about absenteeism, focusing on its causes and measures to control it. To begin, my boss wants me to come up with a format for collecting data from employees every day. I would be very grateful if anyone could suggest ideas on how to structure it.
Regards,
Pavitra
From India, Coimbatore
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Hi Pavitra,
I am enclosing a "PDF" file on the topic of absenteeism. Please go through this report; you will get the answer to your question. Note: the file is in PDF format, so you cannot open it directly. Right-click and select "save target as" on your PC, then open it.
Hope that it will be useful.
Regards,
Sidheshwar
From India, Bangalore
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I am enclosing a "PDF" file on the topic of absenteeism. Please go through this report; you will get the answer to your question. Note: the file is in PDF format, so you cannot open it directly. Right-click and select "save target as" on your PC, then open it.
Hope that it will be useful.
Regards,
Sidheshwar
From India, Bangalore
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hullo sideshwar, thanks a lot for the immediate response.i am just reading the file.i think i will get a lot of information from this and will be able to come up with the format. regards pavithra
From India, Coimbatore
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From India, Coimbatore
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The causes of absenteeism are many and include 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, inadequate nutrition, transportation problems, the existence of income protection plans (collective agreement provisions which continue income during periods of illness or accident), stress, workload, and employee discontent with a collective bargaining process and/or its results.
Guidelines for Absenteeism Control
There are two types of absenteeism, each of which requires a different type of approach.
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 labour 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 within their control. For instance, an employee on sick leave even though not sick, and it can be proven, is guilty of culpable absenteeism. To be culpable is to be blameworthy. In a labour 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.
Identifying Excessive Absenteeism
Attendance records should be reviewed regularly to ensure that an employee's sick-leave days are excessive compared to other employees. If a supervisor suspects that an employee is excessively absent, this can be confirmed through reviewing the attendance records.
If all indications show that an employee is excessively absent, the next step is to gather as much information as possible to get a clearer picture of the situation. The employee's files should be reviewed, and the employee's immediate supervisor should document all available information on the particular employee's history.
Individual Communication
After all available information has been gathered, the administrator or supervisor should individually meet with each employee identified as having higher than average or questionable absences. This first meeting should be used to bring concerns regarding attendance to the employee's attention. It is also an opportunity to discuss with the employee, in some depth, the causes of his or her attendance problem and possible steps he or she can take to remedy or control the absences. Listen carefully to the employee's responses.
The tone of the meeting should not be adversarial, but a major purpose of the interview is to let the employee know that management treats attendance as a very important component of overall work performance. Keep your comments non-threatening and work-oriented. Stick to the facts (i.e. patterns, profiles, rates, etc.). The employee should be given a copy of their attendance report with absences highlighted for discussion.
This interview will give you the opportunity to explore in-depth with the employee the reasons for his or her absence. Gather facts - do not make any assumptions. Provide support and counseling and offer guidance as the occasion demands to assist the employee to deal with the specific cause of the absence.
Often, after the initial meeting employees reduce their absenteeism. The meeting shows that you are concerned and that absenteeism is taken seriously. The employee's attendance should be closely monitored until it has been reduced to acceptable levels. Appropriate counseling should take place as is thought necessary. If a marked improvement has been shown, commend the employee. The meeting should be documented, and a copy placed in the employee's file.
Proof of Illness
Sometimes it is helpful in counseling employees with excessive innocent or culpable absenteeism to inquire or verify the nature and reasons for their absence.
The extent to which an employer may inquire into the nature of and reasons for an employee's absence from the workplace is a delicate issue. The concepts of an employee's privacy and an employer's need for information affecting the workplace often come into conflict. Seldom is the conflict more difficult to resolve than where personal medical information is involved.
Unions will often strongly object to any efforts by management to inquire more deeply into the nature of an employee's illness. You will need to consider the restraints of any language in collective agreements in relation to this issue.
Generally speaking, however, the following "rules of thumb" can be derived from the existing jurisprudence:
There is a prevailing right to privacy on the part of an employee unless the employer can demonstrate that its legitimate business interests necessitate some intrusion into the employee's personal affairs.
When such intrusion is justified it should be strictly limited to the degree of intrusion necessitated by the employer's interests.
An employee has a duty to notify his employer of an intended absence, the cause of the absence, and its expected duration. This information is required by the employer to meet its legitimate concerns to have at its disposal facts which will enable it to schedule work and organize its operation.
An absent employee has an obligation to provide his employer with information regarding any change to his condition or circumstances relating to it which may affect the employer's needs as described in item #3 above. As such, the interests of the employer in having this information outweigh the individual employee's right to privacy.
An employer rule requiring proof for every absence is unreasonable if an absenteeism problem does not exist.
A mere assertion by the person claiming to be sick is not satisfactory proof.
The obligation to prove sickness, where the employer requires proof, rests with the employee.
An employer is entitled upon reasonable and probable grounds to refuse to accept a physician's certificate until it contains sufficient information to satisfy the employer's reservations (i.e. seen by a physician, some indication of return to work, etc.). Non-production of a required medical certificate could result in the loss of pay until the certificate is produced.
Where a medical certificate is rejected by an employer (as in #8 above) the employer must state the grounds for rejection and must point out to the employee what it requires to satisfy the onus of proof.
An employer may require an employee to prove fitness for work where it has reasonable grounds to do so. In a health care setting, the nature of the employer's business gives it a reasonably irresistible interest in this personal information for the purpose of assessing fitness.
Where any unusual circumstances raise reasonable suspicion that an employee might have committed an abuse of an income protection program, an employer may require an employee to explain such circumstances. For example, an employer may require responses as to whether the illness confined an employee to his/her bed or home; whether an employee engaged in any outside activity and the reasons for the activity.
In summary then, any intrusion into the employee's privacy must be shown to be reasonable, based on the individual circumstances and in relation to the operation of the employer's business. If income protection abuse is suspected, the extent to which such intrusion is "reasonable" would be far greater than in the case where it is not. If you are not clear on whether an inquiry is legally justified, it is advisable to consult your superior.
After the Initial Interview
If after the initial interview, enough time and counseling efforts, as appropriate, have passed and the employee's absenteeism has not improved, it may be necessary to take further action. Further action must be handled with extreme caution - a mistake in approach, timing, or severity can be crippling from both an administration and labor relations point of view.
Determining whether counseling or disciplinary action is appropriate depends on whether the employee's absences are innocent or culpable. If the employee's absenteeism is made up of both innocent and culpable absences, then each type must be dealt with as a separate issue. In a labor relations context, innocent absenteeism and culpable absenteeism are mutually exclusive. One in no way affects the other.
Counseling Innocent Absenteeism
Innocent absenteeism is not blameworthy and therefore disciplinary action is not justified. It is obviously unfair to punish someone for conduct which is beyond his/her control. Absenteeism, no matter what the cause, imposes losses on the employer who is also not at fault. The damage suffered by the employer must be weighed against the employee's right to be sick. There is a point at which the employer's right to expect the employee to attend regularly and fulfill the employment contract will outweigh the employee's right to be sick. At such a point, the termination of the employee may be justified, as will be discussed.
The procedure an employer may take for innocent absenteeism is as follows:
Initial counseling(s)
Written counseling(s)
Reduction(s) of hours and/or job reclassification
Discharge
Initial Counseling
Presuming you have communicated attendance expectations generally and have already identified an employee as a problem, you will have met with him or her as part of your attendance program, and you should now continue to monitor the effect of these efforts on his or her attendance.
If the absences are intermittent, meet with the employee each time he/she returns to work. If absence is prolonged, keep in touch with the employee regularly and stay updated on the status of his/her condition. (Indicate your willingness to assist.)
You may require the employee to provide you with regular medical assessments. This will enable you to judge whether or not there is any likelihood of the employee providing regular attendance in the future. Regular medical assessments will also give you an idea of what steps the employee is taking to seek medical or other assistance. Formal meetings in which verbal warnings are given should be given as appropriate and documented. If no improvement occurs, written warning may be necessary.
Written Counseling
If the absences persist, you should meet with the employee formally and provide him/her with a letter of concern. If the absenteeism still continues to persist, then the employee should be given a second letter of concern during another formal meeting. This letter would be more strongly worded in that it would warn the employee that
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Guidelines for Absenteeism Control
There are two types of absenteeism, each of which requires a different type of approach.
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 labour 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 within their control. For instance, an employee on sick leave even though not sick, and it can be proven, is guilty of culpable absenteeism. To be culpable is to be blameworthy. In a labour 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.
Identifying Excessive Absenteeism
Attendance records should be reviewed regularly to ensure that an employee's sick-leave days are excessive compared to other employees. If a supervisor suspects that an employee is excessively absent, this can be confirmed through reviewing the attendance records.
If all indications show that an employee is excessively absent, the next step is to gather as much information as possible to get a clearer picture of the situation. The employee's files should be reviewed, and the employee's immediate supervisor should document all available information on the particular employee's history.
Individual Communication
After all available information has been gathered, the administrator or supervisor should individually meet with each employee identified as having higher than average or questionable absences. This first meeting should be used to bring concerns regarding attendance to the employee's attention. It is also an opportunity to discuss with the employee, in some depth, the causes of his or her attendance problem and possible steps he or she can take to remedy or control the absences. Listen carefully to the employee's responses.
The tone of the meeting should not be adversarial, but a major purpose of the interview is to let the employee know that management treats attendance as a very important component of overall work performance. Keep your comments non-threatening and work-oriented. Stick to the facts (i.e. patterns, profiles, rates, etc.). The employee should be given a copy of their attendance report with absences highlighted for discussion.
This interview will give you the opportunity to explore in-depth with the employee the reasons for his or her absence. Gather facts - do not make any assumptions. Provide support and counseling and offer guidance as the occasion demands to assist the employee to deal with the specific cause of the absence.
Often, after the initial meeting employees reduce their absenteeism. The meeting shows that you are concerned and that absenteeism is taken seriously. The employee's attendance should be closely monitored until it has been reduced to acceptable levels. Appropriate counseling should take place as is thought necessary. If a marked improvement has been shown, commend the employee. The meeting should be documented, and a copy placed in the employee's file.
Proof of Illness
Sometimes it is helpful in counseling employees with excessive innocent or culpable absenteeism to inquire or verify the nature and reasons for their absence.
The extent to which an employer may inquire into the nature of and reasons for an employee's absence from the workplace is a delicate issue. The concepts of an employee's privacy and an employer's need for information affecting the workplace often come into conflict. Seldom is the conflict more difficult to resolve than where personal medical information is involved.
Unions will often strongly object to any efforts by management to inquire more deeply into the nature of an employee's illness. You will need to consider the restraints of any language in collective agreements in relation to this issue.
Generally speaking, however, the following "rules of thumb" can be derived from the existing jurisprudence:
There is a prevailing right to privacy on the part of an employee unless the employer can demonstrate that its legitimate business interests necessitate some intrusion into the employee's personal affairs.
When such intrusion is justified it should be strictly limited to the degree of intrusion necessitated by the employer's interests.
An employee has a duty to notify his employer of an intended absence, the cause of the absence, and its expected duration. This information is required by the employer to meet its legitimate concerns to have at its disposal facts which will enable it to schedule work and organize its operation.
An absent employee has an obligation to provide his employer with information regarding any change to his condition or circumstances relating to it which may affect the employer's needs as described in item #3 above. As such, the interests of the employer in having this information outweigh the individual employee's right to privacy.
An employer rule requiring proof for every absence is unreasonable if an absenteeism problem does not exist.
A mere assertion by the person claiming to be sick is not satisfactory proof.
The obligation to prove sickness, where the employer requires proof, rests with the employee.
An employer is entitled upon reasonable and probable grounds to refuse to accept a physician's certificate until it contains sufficient information to satisfy the employer's reservations (i.e. seen by a physician, some indication of return to work, etc.). Non-production of a required medical certificate could result in the loss of pay until the certificate is produced.
Where a medical certificate is rejected by an employer (as in #8 above) the employer must state the grounds for rejection and must point out to the employee what it requires to satisfy the onus of proof.
An employer may require an employee to prove fitness for work where it has reasonable grounds to do so. In a health care setting, the nature of the employer's business gives it a reasonably irresistible interest in this personal information for the purpose of assessing fitness.
Where any unusual circumstances raise reasonable suspicion that an employee might have committed an abuse of an income protection program, an employer may require an employee to explain such circumstances. For example, an employer may require responses as to whether the illness confined an employee to his/her bed or home; whether an employee engaged in any outside activity and the reasons for the activity.
In summary then, any intrusion into the employee's privacy must be shown to be reasonable, based on the individual circumstances and in relation to the operation of the employer's business. If income protection abuse is suspected, the extent to which such intrusion is "reasonable" would be far greater than in the case where it is not. If you are not clear on whether an inquiry is legally justified, it is advisable to consult your superior.
After the Initial Interview
If after the initial interview, enough time and counseling efforts, as appropriate, have passed and the employee's absenteeism has not improved, it may be necessary to take further action. Further action must be handled with extreme caution - a mistake in approach, timing, or severity can be crippling from both an administration and labor relations point of view.
Determining whether counseling or disciplinary action is appropriate depends on whether the employee's absences are innocent or culpable. If the employee's absenteeism is made up of both innocent and culpable absences, then each type must be dealt with as a separate issue. In a labor relations context, innocent absenteeism and culpable absenteeism are mutually exclusive. One in no way affects the other.
Counseling Innocent Absenteeism
Innocent absenteeism is not blameworthy and therefore disciplinary action is not justified. It is obviously unfair to punish someone for conduct which is beyond his/her control. Absenteeism, no matter what the cause, imposes losses on the employer who is also not at fault. The damage suffered by the employer must be weighed against the employee's right to be sick. There is a point at which the employer's right to expect the employee to attend regularly and fulfill the employment contract will outweigh the employee's right to be sick. At such a point, the termination of the employee may be justified, as will be discussed.
The procedure an employer may take for innocent absenteeism is as follows:
Initial counseling(s)
Written counseling(s)
Reduction(s) of hours and/or job reclassification
Discharge
Initial Counseling
Presuming you have communicated attendance expectations generally and have already identified an employee as a problem, you will have met with him or her as part of your attendance program, and you should now continue to monitor the effect of these efforts on his or her attendance.
If the absences are intermittent, meet with the employee each time he/she returns to work. If absence is prolonged, keep in touch with the employee regularly and stay updated on the status of his/her condition. (Indicate your willingness to assist.)
You may require the employee to provide you with regular medical assessments. This will enable you to judge whether or not there is any likelihood of the employee providing regular attendance in the future. Regular medical assessments will also give you an idea of what steps the employee is taking to seek medical or other assistance. Formal meetings in which verbal warnings are given should be given as appropriate and documented. If no improvement occurs, written warning may be necessary.
Written Counseling
If the absences persist, you should meet with the employee formally and provide him/her with a letter of concern. If the absenteeism still continues to persist, then the employee should be given a second letter of concern during another formal meeting. This letter would be more strongly worded in that it would warn the employee that
From China
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Thanks a lot for your immediate response. In the meantime, I could download it using your suggestion to 'save target as' in my PC. Good reading. Thanks again. Govardhan
From India, Madras
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From India, Madras
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