0601067 absentism

A Project Report
On
"Absenteeism"
for
"Siljan Nursing home"
By
Trude Rosholt
Under the guidance of
Dr. Mrs V.H. Gote
Submitted to
"University of Pune"
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of the degree of Master of Business
Administration (MBA)
Through
Vishwakarma Institute of Management
Pune-48.
1

CERTIFICATE.
To whomsoever it may concern.
This is to certify that Ms Trude Rosholt is a bonafide student of our institute.
She has successfully carried out her summer project on ‘Absenteeism’ at Siljan
Nursing home.
This is original study of Ms Trude Rosholt and important sources of data used by her
have been acknowledged in her report.
The report is submitted in the partial fulfilment of two year full time course Master of
Business Administration (2006-2008) as per the rules of the Pune University.
Dr. Sharad L. Joshi Dr. Mrs V.H.Gote
(Director) (Project Guide)
2

Table of content.
Chapter
No.
Chapter name Page No
1 Executive summary 1
2 Health care system - Norway 3
3 Company profile 7
4 Introduction to the subject -
absenteeism
12
5 Objectives of the study 20
6 Research methodology 22
7 Data analysis 23
8 Conclusion 50
9 Findings and recommendations 53
10 Limitations 60
11 Bibliography 61
12 Annexure 62
Executive summary.
4

For this report I have undertaken an internship at Siljan Nursing home
from 25 May to 15th
of August. I have interacted closely with the
employees of the organisation and also done further research about my
topic via books and websites.
The research that I have undertaken is on ‘Absenteeism’.
‘Absenteeism refers to unauthorized absence of the worker from his
job.’
The reason for choosing this topic is that it is a very relevant topic in
my country, the trend of absenteeism is extremely high and this issue
will continue to be on the top agenda in many organisations in Norway
for years to come. Further I chose to do my research in the health care
industry because of my personal interests.
In the report I have included general information about absenteeism
such as definitions, causes and effects, trends etc. further I have
undertaken a study by questioner form in order to find out the
objectives of the report, which are
To understand and analyze:
1. What are the main causes of absenteeism at Siljan sykehjem?
2. What factors are to be considered in order to reduce absenteeism?
3. What suggestions can be given to the management to improve the
regular attendance of the employees in the company?
4. Finding employees welfare activities and rewards given to motivate
them
5

The major findings of my report was that at Siljan Nursing
home
- Job satisfaction levels seems to be high
- Physical work environment is good, however the employees have
insinuated needs for some small changes and need for new facilities
- Social work environment amongst employees is good, however a
few percentages of the respondents have issued concerns on this
topic
- Management - employee relationship seems to be satisfactory
- Salary structure is not sufficient
- Work morale is average and above
- Main cause of absenteeism is related to physical chronic problems.
- Second larges cause of absenteeism is general sickness
From these findings I have made certain recommendations and
suggestions to the organisation. These include measures such as
constant work on management style, provide incentives, work on social
work environment, keep motivation high etc.
6

Organizational structure of the health care system in Norway.
The organizational structure of the Norwegian health care system is
built on the principle of equal access to services. All inhabitants of the
country shall have the same access to services, independent of social
status, location and income. While the role of the state is to provide
national health policy, to prepare and oversee legislation and to allocate
funds, the main responsibility for the provision of health care services
lies with the 19 counties and the 435 municipalities.
Social care
Social care in Norway includes social welfare services, care for the
elderly, the disabled and psychiatric patients, and care for alcoholics
and drug addicts.
During the past ten years, municipalities have had increasing
responsibility for providing health and social care services. This
expansion, however, has not reduced the amount of time of care
provided by family members.
The state defines national goals and draws up the framework for social
care services, and provides government guidelines and advice. The
basic principle of care for the elderly and disabled is that services and
individualized support should be arranged in ways that enable care in
people’s home communities.
7

The elderly and persons with disabilities should have the opportunity to
live in their own home for as long as possible.
Nurses and home care personnel make home visits and provide
necessary services, including personal hygiene. Most of the
municipalities (80%) now provide services 24 hours a day. Home care
services include cleaning, shopping, cooking and washing for those
who cannot cope on their own. Care services also include respite care,
physiotherapist services, activities-for-daily-living-training and
personal assistance. It is the responsibility of the municipalities to
provide residential care as needed, including nursing homes, service
homes and group living for people with senile dementia. There are over
43 000 beds in institutions for the elderly.
In the municipalities, 82 500 person-labour years are engaged in the
social care sector. The majority of the population in the institutions
(74%) are 80 years and older. The day care activities include day
centres and rehabilitation.
The overall need for nursing and care services is expected to increase.
This is due to the age structure of the population, and especially to the
expected increase in the number of elderly people over the age of 80
years.
The main challenges and tasks facing nursing and care services in the
future can be summarized as follows:
• To increase capacity through new residential construction and new
nursing and care posts;
8

• To improve the quality of local and care services;
• To ensure uniform local authority provision of nursing and care
services;
• To improve central government policy instruments.
Norway faces the dilemma of many western European countries: as the
standard of living improves and people’s life expectancy increases,
there are new challenges with an ageing population and a growing
number of people with chronic illnesses. To make further progress in
the health of the population, it will be necessary to focus on the
challenges of health promotion and illness prevention.
Nursing and care services for the elderly
In 1997, the parliament adopted a four-year action plan for local
authority nursing and care services. The plan, which is targeted from
1998 to 2001, sets out objectives for the development of local authority
nursing and care services. The plan entails use of central government
funds to achieve these objectives.
The core aims of the action plan are:
• To provide nursing and care services that ensure the elderly a secure
and, to the maximum possible extent, a worthy and independent life;
• To enable elderly persons to live in their own home for as long as
possible;
• To provide sufficient capacity to guarantee the availability of services
whenever and wherever they are needed.
9

To help guarantee that the objectives of the action plan are reached, the
central administration will help local authorities so that they can
provide users with the range of services they need. It will do this
through financial and legal policy instruments, as well as by imposing
specific planning requirements
10

COMPANY PROFILE
Siljan Nursing home.
Siljan Nursing home is a government run institution where elderly
people who are unable to take care of themselves due to old age or
other physical conditions are offered a home where a variety of
services are available to them. Siljan nursing home consists of 3 main
buildings in which a total of 30 patients are staying. The patients are all
having their own rooms with attached bathrooms. Kitchen and living
rooms are also provided in all 3 departments. Patients are staying on
different time periods, i.e. some are staying permanently due to lack of
other housing facilities where they are comfortable and safe and others
are staying for a short while in the case of for example the family
members are going on a vacation or they need some relieve of daily
responsibilities regarding caretaking of the patient. The patients who
are taking up residency at the institution varies in their health
condition, some are able to do most of their daily chores by themselves
while others are not able to even do basic activities like go to the
bathroom without assistance. Because of this the level of services given
to each patient depends on their individual needs, however they all
have in common that they are provided whit 3 meals a day in the
common kitchen area.
11

Mission
Siljan nursing home’s mission statements goes as follows: To provide
quality of life and quality of care to residents who come to us for long-
term residential or short-term rehabilitative care. We assist residents to
achieve their highest possible level of physical, psychosocial and
spiritual potential, always working to protect and enhance their dignity.
We seek to continually improve the services we provide.
Vision statement
We envision for our residents normalcy and individualized, quality
care. We will work in partnership to create the best of “home”: an
environment of friendship, spontaneity, creativity, comfort, and
pleasure. We envision a place where each of us is known, where each
is comfortable being one’s self, where each of us wants to be. And, we
envision a thriving and growing community, full of life and vitality, in
which all are welcome and all contribute.
At present siljan sykehjem has a total number of 54 employees.
And the organisational structure is as follows:
Institutional chief – Øyvind Løvold
HR Manager – Merete Rosenborg
Ward Nurse (Department 1) Bodil Holtan
Ward Nurse (Department 2) Jorund Auran
Ward Nurse (Department 1) Astrid Anker Hansen
12

Finance department is a shared department with other institution run by
the government in that county, so salaries and other financial work is
handled outside of the main institution
13

RIGHT TO LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Length of normal hours of work
Forty-hour week. - normal hours of work shall not exceed nine hours
per day and 40 hours per week.
Overtime and additional work. - If any employee works longer than
the normal hours of work under the excess shall be regarded as
overtime.
Vacation.
Any employee has the right to 5 weeks (25 working days) of paid
vacation leave per annum
Sick leave
Any employee has the right to take 24 days of sick leave in a period of
12 months, without a doctors notification. If the amount of days
exceeds 24 then a doctors certificate is required to be presented.
Pregnancy and confinement.
Pregnant employees shall be entitled to leave of absence for up to 12
weeks during pregnancy.
A mother shall have leave of absence for the first six weeks following
the birth of a child.
14

In connection with the birth of a child the father shall be entitled to two
weeks' leave of absence provided that he lives with the mother and
spends the time taking care of family and home.
Parents shall be entitled to further leave of absence during the first
year of the child's life provided, however, that leave of absence
pursuant to subsections (1) and (3) does not exceed a total of one year
for both parents jointly.
15

Absenteeism – what is it?
Absenteeism refers to unauthorized absence of the worker from his job.
Absenteeism can be defined as failure of employees to report for work
when they are scheduled to work. Employees who are away from work
on recognized holidays, vacations, approved leaves of absence, or
leaves of absence allowed for under the collective agreement
provisions would not be included .
Frequent absence from the workplace may be indicative of poor morale
or of sick building syndrome
Certain trends have been observed about absenteeism in general.
- Highly paid workers seems to have less absenteeism
- The greater the length of service of the employee, the less he/she is
absent
- Larger organisations seem to have a higher rate of absenteeism than
smaller organisations.
- Women are absent more frequently than men.
- Single employees are absent more frequently than married employees.
The rate of absenteeism can be calculated by considering the number of
persons scheduled to work and the number actually present.
16

Causes of absenteeism.
- Illnesses
- Accidents.
- Stress
- Low motivation and morale
- Lack of co-operation and understanding between management and
workers.
- Bad working conditions.
-. Boredom
Out of all these causes for absenteeism we can see that in Norway
illnesses and muscle/ joint related problems are the main cause of
absenteeism. Further it has been observed that low moral and
motivation is also a major cause for absenteeism, due to the fact that
there are hardly any penalties given to employees for being absent and
next to 100 percent of the wages will still be delivered we see that a lot
of people choose to stay home from work even if their health condition
is good enough for them to attend work. However it has been observed
that Norwegians are of the most efficient workers in the world when
they are in fact present at work. So even if the rate of absenteeism is
amongst the highest in the world the general economics is still good.
17

Trends of absenteeism in Norway generally.
On an average day, about one in four of Norway's workers are absent
from work, either because they have called in sick, are undergoing
rehabilitation, or are on long-term disability. This rate is especially
high among government employees, who account for half the
workforce. The average amount of time people were absent from work
in Norway in 2002, not including vacations, was 4.8 weeks Norway's
welfare state enforces few penalties against chronic absenteeism. In
fact, most people who take sick leave receive 100 percent of their pay.
Few employees get fired, but even if they do, unemployment benefits
are very generous.
Just about everyone agrees that Norway's liberal welfare system plays a
substantial role in the growing absenteeism.
18

Measures proposed by Norwegian government in order to keep the
problem of absenteeism at bay.
Increasing employer responsibility with regard to monitoring
absenteeism.
This measure includes developing plans for re-entry into employment
(within six weeks of absence), establishing areas for dialogue, and
documenting measures implemented to adjust the workplace to the
needs of sick employees. Ideally, employee representatives and health
personnel should also be involved in this work.
Improving public access to health and rehabilitation services with the
aim of getting people on sick pay back into employment.
Increasing state funding and support for workplace adjustment
measures.
19

A high level of absenteeism will ultimately lead to:
1. Decreased efficiency.
In case of production companies the capacity would be reduced and in
case of any service organisation the quality level will go down. For
example if a shop assistant is absent from work the store may not be
able to keep all their cash counters open and in effect the service
offered to the customers is less.
Also other employees may be carrying an extra workload to replace the
absent worker
Staff morale and employee service may suffer.
2. Financial Costs :
Payment of overtime may result.
Premium costs may rise for insured plans.
3. Administrative Costs :
Staff time is required to secure replacement employees or to reassign
the remaining employees.
20

Measures that can be taken in order to control absenteeism.
If absenteeism is to be controlled, the physical and emotional needs of
employees must be addressed. Managers meet with employees who are
out more than 16 days and help them to get better treatment.
Employees appreciate that, because it makes them feel needed.
Managers also move sick employees into less physically demanding
jobs, if need be, and buy them special equipment.
For Supervisors/Managers:
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.
Management styles that are too authoritarian tend to promote high
levels of absenteeism among employees. Authoritarian managers are
managers who have poor listening skills, set unreachable goals, have
poor communication skills, and are inflexible. In other words, they yell
too much, blame others for problems, and make others feel that it must
be their way or the "highway." Authoritarian managers tend to produce
high absenteeism rates. By identifying managers who use an
authoritarian style, and providing them with management training, you
will be taking a positive step not only toward reducing absenteeism,
21

but also reducing turnover, job burnout, and employee health problems
such as backaches and headaches.
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 co-worker relationships.
Not only does relationship stress occur between the employee and
manager, but it also exists between employees. Frequently I hear
employees say they did not go to work because they are fearful of or
angry with another employee. These employees usually report they just
could not deal with "so and so" today, so they called in ill. Companies
that adopted policies and values that promote employee respect and
professionalism, and promote an internal conflict resolution procedure,
are companies that reduce employee stress. A reduction in employee
stress reduces employee absenteeism.
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.
The types of incentive programs used by companies are numerous.
Some companies allow employees to cash-in unused sick days at the
end of every quarter, others give an employee two hours of bonus pay
for every month of perfect attendance; and still others provide
22

employees with a buffet lunch, a certificate of achievement, or even a
scratch-off card concealing prizes. The duration of the incentive
program is also very important. Once again allow your employees to
help guide you to determine the length of time between incentives.
Some companies find that they can simply reward employees with
perfect attendance once a year, while others decide once a month is
best, and still others decide once a week works best. The general rule
of thumb is to reward workers more frequently the younger they are
and the more difficult the work is to perform. Also, it is best to start
with small incentives and work up to larger ones if necessary.
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.
23

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
To understand and analyze:
1. The main causes of absenteeism at Siljan sykehjem.
2. What factors are to be considered in order to reduce absenteeism.
regular attendance of the employees in the company.
4. Finding employees welfare activities and rewards given to motivate
them.
24

RESEARCH METHOLOGY.
Methodology is defined as:
"A particular procedure or set of procedures".
Methodology includes the following concepts as they relate to a
particular discipline or field of inquiry:
1. A collection of theories, concepts or ideas;
2. Comparative study of different approaches; and
3. Critique of the individual methods
Research Methodology involves adopting various techniques which are
best suited for the research and study of the problem, for investigation
and analysis of the problem. It starts with data collection from various
sources i.e., primary and secondary sources, data analysis and
interpretation and finally the findings or conclusion from the analysis.
In this project, Primary data was collected by Questionnaire Survey
and also by daily interaction with the employees. During my internship
in the institution I was taking part in all activities at a daily basis and
was able to observe habits of the employees and interact with them in
order to understand the works of the institution as a whole. And rather
than simply focusing on statistics regarding numbers I have tried to
conduct my survey in respect of qualitative research.
Qualitative research is one of the two major approaches to research
methodology in social sciences. Qualitative research involves an in-
depth understanding of human behaviour. Unlike quantitative research,
25

qualitative research relies on reasons behind various aspects of
behaviour. Simply put, it investigates the why and how of decision
making, as compared to what, where, and when of quantitative
research. Hence, the need is for smaller but focused samples rather than
large random samples, which qualitative research categorizes data into
patterns as the primary basis for organizing and reporting results.
Unlike quantitative research, which relies exclusively on the analysis
of numerical or quantifiable data, data for qualitative research comes in
many mediums, including text, sound, still images, and moving
images.
26

Questioner results
To which extent are these statements True?
Job satisfaction.
1. My job position in the institution is interesting.
Number of responses (N=30)
0
2
1
14
13
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Not at all To some extent Average To great extent Highly
Percent 0 6.6 3.3 46.6 43.3
This shows that about 90 percent of the employees consider their job
interesting to either a great extent or highly.
27

2. My daily chores in the institution are challenging.
0 0
9
15
6
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Percent 0 0 30 50 20
This shows that the employees does in fact find their work challenging,
no employee has answered not at all or to some extent. 30 percent has
chosen average as their response and the remaining 70 percent have
answered to great extent or highly.
28

3. I am given a high level of responsibility from my superiors.
0
3
8
12
7
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Percent 0 10 26.6 40 23.3
Again we see that the employees are giving most of their answers as ‘to
a great extent’ also a considerable amount have responded average as
well as highly, a few employees (10 percent) has replied with ‘ to some
extent’. It is understood that the employees feels that they are given
responsibility in a pretty satisfactory way, however the responses are a
bit scattered and some of the employees might feel that the level of
responsibility given by employees might not be satisfactory.
Job satisfaction - conclusion
29

If we group these 3 questions to cover the aspect of job satisfaction I
think we can conclude that most of the employee’s are highly satisfied
in their jobs. Hence job satisfaction is not a main cause of absenteeism
in the institution. It seems that the employees are already satisfied with
their responsibilities, but in any institution there is always room for
improvement so in case the employees would start to feel bored or
unsatisfied with their current work responsibilities then measures such
as job rotation, job enrichment etc can be undertaken. For example in
case of job rotation it means that an employee that is usually having
one specific set of tasks will be put to other work task for a certain
period of time. This enhances the motivation of the employees, gives
them more challenges and more knowledge. It is also beneficial for the
institution in the case of absenteeism other employees has the skills to
work in different fields than they usually do.
30

Work environment.
4. There are several aspects of my work place that I would like to
change
5
19
0
4
2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Percent 16.6 63.3 0 13.3 6.6
Here we find that the majority of the employee doesn’t have a need for
much change, however they have responded that they need it to some
extent so there might be room for slight improvements in the working
environment.16 percent has answered that they don’t require any kind
of change and 13 percent has answered to great extent, while 6.6
percent has answered that there are several aspects that they would like
to change to a highly extent.
31

5. There are several facilities that I am missing at my workplace
23
6
0
1
00
5
10
15
20
25
Percent 76.6 20 0 3.3 0
About 76 percent of the employees has answered that they do not miss
any facilities at their work place and 20 percent has answered t some
extent. A small group of people (3.3 percent) has responded that they
are missing facilities to a great extent, however in general the
employees seems to be satisfied with the facilities at their workplace.
32

6. The working environment in this institution is good
0
5
13
7
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Percent 0 16.6 43.3 23.3 16.6
When it comes to working environment the responses are a bit more
scattered, 16.6 percent has replied that the working environment is
good to some extent, while 43 percent has answered average. The
remaining responses lie between to great extent and highly. It looks
like there would definitely be room for improvement in this field.
33

7. The social environment amongst employees is good
2
3
12
6
7
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Percent 6.6 10 40 20 23.3
Again the majority of employees has answered average, the responses
between ‘to great extent and highly’ is also covering a percentage of
about 45. The remaining percentages lie between not at all and to some
extent. It seems that most of the employees are rather satisfied with the
social environment but again there are improvements to be made. It is
impossible however to have a social environment where everybody
feels satisfied at all times as this environment is dynamic and can
change from day to day. Some kind of feuds or mishaps between
employees will always be there, but the management can do its best in
order to solve problems like this in a professional manner.
34

8. My relationship with other colleagues is good
2
3
9 9
7
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Percent 6.6 10 30 30 23.3
Again we see that most of the employees have answered in between
average and highly, only 6.6 percent has answered not at all and 10
percent has answered to some extent. these problems however may be
temporarily and in case it is not easily solved or wont pass on its own
the management can also consider transfers within the organisation so
that certain employees avoid working in the same area, or it can even
be controlled through manpower planning in regards to shift schedule.
35

9. My relationship with my superiors is good
0 0
8
14
8
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Percent 0 0 26.6 46.6 26.6
Here we see that no one has answered in the categories between ‘not at
all and to some extent’ so this is positive. The majority of responses
lies in the group of ‘to great extent’ then there is an equal distribution
between average and highly. It shows that it seems the management is
doing a good job and keeping good relations with employees.
10. My colleagues are highly supportive.
36

2
3
9 9
7
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Percent 6.6 6.6 26.6 40 20
Again the responses are mostly positive, only a total of 13 percent has
answered not at all or to some extent, the rest has answered between
average and highly. This is in accordance with other questions related
to social environment at the work place.
11. I interact with the company s management staff without
hesitating.
37

0
2
5
6
17
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Percent 0 6.6 16.6 20 56.6
A total of 56 percent has answered highly and another 20 percent has
answered to great extent, so this means that more than 75 percent of the
employees feels that they can approach management without
hesitation. 16.6 percent has answered average and only 6.6 have
answered to some extent. No one has answered not at all.
38

Work environment - conclusion
It can be concluded that the employees seems satisfied with the
management and that they are comfortable with approaching superiors
to discuss grievances etc without hesitation. So it seems like bad
relations with the management is not a leading cause of absenteeism,
and it looks like the management style is working nicely in the
institution. The social environment at the work place also seems to be
good, however a small percentage seems to be unsatisfied in this area.
The management needs to further explore this issue and see if there is
anything they can do in order to improve the situation. When it comes
to working environment in the physical sense and facilities in place at
the institution the employees seems to be pretty much satisfied but not
completely. Here the management might look for ways to improve, it
may not be financial feasible to make big changes, but the issue should
definitely be addressed and discussed among the employees in order to
find the most suitable solution. Often it might not be need for big
changes or investment but simply some small arrangements to be
provided.
Non monetary and monetary benefits
12. The salary I receive is satisfactory
39

3
12
13
2
00
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Percent 10 40 43.3 6.6 0
From this we can read that the employees are not highly satisfied with
their salary.43.3 percent has replied that their satisfaction level is
average whereas 50 percent of the group has answered to some extent
or not at all. Only 6.6 percent has answered that their salary is
satisfactory to a great extent. This is a general concern in the health
industry in Norway, in 2001 however there was a major increase in the
wages of nurses and caretakers but it seams that it is still not enough
and that the employees are still not satisfied. In Norway the nurses
attend 3 years of college after finishing their high school and the care
takers finishes 2 years of schooling with a practical experience period
of another 2 years before they can receive their certificates. So we can
see that the people working in the health industry in Norway are
generally highly educated and this is the reason why they are not
40

satisfied with the wage level they are being given. If you compare
salary structures with other industries in our country you will find that
people of similar education level are indeed earning better than people
in the health industry. This problem however is getting addressed by
the central government as it is a general problem on a national level.
The salaries within the health industry are expected to rise substantially
within the next few years though, as qualified nurses are in such high
demand. It has been found that people who are receiving high level of
salaries are indeed less absent than employees with unsatisfactory
levels of salary. This goes towards motivation, if the employees are
rewarded with a good salary their motivation will rise, however a
increase in salaries may not lead to an instant reduction in absenteeism.
13. The non monetary services offered at the institution is
satisfactory
41

0 0
16
10
4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Percent 0 0 53.3 33.3 13.3
None of the employees has answered not at all or to some extent so it
seems that they are all pretty satisfied with the non monetary services
offered. About 50 percent has answered that they are satisfied to an
average extent whereas the rest of the respondents has answered
between ‘to great extent and highly’.
Non monetary and monetary benefits – conclusion
It can be concluded that the salary structure needs to be worked on, but
that the non monetary benefits are satisfactory. However the salary
42

structure is decided on national level and is not worked out by
employees at the institution.
Absenteeism
14. My absenteeism records are high.
43

8
0
14
4 4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Percent 26.6 0 46.6 13.3 13.3
Here we find that 46.6 consider their absenteeism records to be
average. 26.6 have responded that their absenteeism records are not at
all high and the remaining 27 percent has answered either to great
extent or highly.
15. My absenteeism records are low
44

6
3
12
4
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Percent 20 10 40 13.3 16.6
In comparison with the previous question when asking whether they
consider their absenteeism records to be low 40 percent has again
answered average, 20 percent has answered not at all, 10 percent to
some extent and about 20 percent has answered that they consider their
absenteeism records to be low to a great extent or highly.
16. The cause of my absenteeism is chronically problems related to
physical injuries
45

6
7
0
4
13
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Percent 20 23.3 0 13.3 43.3
Here we can see a general trend that is quite common in the health care
industry, that chronic physical problems due to injuries or strain are a
high cause of absenteeism. Working in a nursing home puts a lot of
physical stress on your body as it involves heavy lifting and also
working positions that is unfortunate for back and shoulders. It is a
typical trend that these kind of problems will cause high level of
absenteeism as they are not easily treated. From the responses to this
question we can see that 43.3 percentages of the employees is
considering this to be a high cause of absenteeism and 13.3 percent is
saying it is a cause of great extent. About 20 percent of the group are
saying that chronic physical problems are not at all a reason for
absenteeism and 23 percent is saying that it is a reason to some extent.
Non of the respondents has gone for the choice ‘average’, I guess the
46

reason for this is that either you are suffering from these problems or
you are not, there is not really a middle way.
It looks like this area is something that the management should further
consider in order to reduce their absenteeism levels. Measures that
could be undertaken is for example further training and education of
the employees in regards to beneficial working positions, what to avoid
etc. it could also be a good idea to offer the employees some kind of
gym facilities or at least hold a course where they are taught how to
best preserve their backs and other parts of the body where injuries
easily occur. By doing this injuries might be avoided and current
injuries and problems could be reduced.
17. The cause of my absenteeism is related to general sickness
47

0
14
9
2
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Percent 0 46.6 30 6.6 16.6
Nobody has identified general sickness as not being related to their
absenteeism records at all, occasionally anyone can get sick so there
would always be a risk of this causing a certain amount of absenteeism.
The majority of employees have rated general sickness as either ‘to
some extent’ or ‘average’. A total of 23 percent has rated it as a cause
to great extent or highly. When u look at general sickness as a cause of
absenteeism, this can often be interrelated with stress or dissatisfaction
at work. In case of stressful life one’s immune system goes down and
sickness catch on fast. A lot of people also tend to use general sickness
as an excuse not to attend work even when they are healthy enough to
go, this problem is especially great in Norway as there is not really any
kind of penalties for this kind of leave. What the management might do
in order to reduce this kind of absenteeism is to generally raise the
motivation level of the employees. If the motivation levels are high the
48

employees will be reluctant to call in sick unless they really need to.
Raising employee’s motivation however is a procedure that is
interrelated in many fields and it is not something that is easily done.
However new measures towards this constantly needs to be put in
action, as this is a process that never ends, it is an ongoing issue. Even
if an organisation has great level of motivation amongst its employees
this state can rapidly change if efforts are not made to maintain it.
18. The cause of my absenteeism is related to mental illness
49

19
8
0
3
00
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Percent 63.3 26.6 0 10 0
63.3 percent of the respondents have stated that mental illness does not
at all affect their absenteeism and 26.6 have stated that it only affects it
to some extent. The remaining 10 percent of employees has stated that
it affects their absenteeism to a great extent.
50

19 .the cause of my absenteeism is related to personal problems i.e.
family
8
12
5
2
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Percent 26.6 40 16.6 6.6 10
Here the majority has chosen to some extent as their response with a
total of 40 percent. 16.6 has stated their absenteeism due to personal
problems as average and about 17 percent has stated it to be a cause to
great or highly extent. 26.6 percent of the respondents claim that
personal problems do not at all affect their records.
20. I would rate my work morale as high.
51

0
2
12
11
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Percent 0 6.6 40 36.6 16.6
The majority of respondents have rated their work moral as average or
above. No one has stated that they’re work moral is not at all high;
however a small percentage of 6.6 has stated that their work morale is
high only to some extent.
Absenteeism – conclusion
Most of the employees see their absenteeism to be pretty much
average, however some are identifying their records to be abnormally
high and some are claiming they are low.
52

It seems like chronicle physical problems is the main cause of
absenteeism here, also general sickness is a major cause. Mental
illnesses, personal problems etc seems to be minor causes.
Hence the management need to focus their efforts on those causes who
are most predominant i.e. physical injuries etc.
Conclusion – objectives
1. The main causes of absenteeism at Siljan sykehjem.
53

It seems like chronicle physical problems is the main cause of
absenteeism here, also general sickness is a major cause. Mental
illnesses, personal problems etc seems to be minor causes.
Hence the management need to focus their efforts on those causes who
are most predominant i.e. physical injuries etc.
2. What factors are to be considered in order to reduce
absenteeism.
Various factors have to be considered in order to reduce absenteeism.
All the findings and recommendations are basically related to this
objective. Every point on the survey that has been found to be less than
satisfactory should be addressed. Further the factor of motivation and
general level of satisfaction at work would definitely be an area to
consider.
From the survey I have summarise about 4 points that needs to be
addressed, and these are as follows:
- Physical working environment
- Social working environment
- Chronic physical problems and general sickness
- Motivation
regular attendance of the employees in the company.
Provide Incentives: An incentive provides an employee with a boost
to their motivation to avoid unnecessary absenteeism.
54

with an employee who is frequently absent.
Recognition – the management could also take measures to reward the
employees that are having low absenteeism. Say for example by having
an arrangement like giving out an award like the employee of the
month. This gives the employee recognition amongst other employees
and it also sets a good example
4. Finding employees welfare activities and rewards given to
motivate them.
. The social environment at a workplace is highly interrelated with a
persons general welfare and having a great social working environment
can definitely help in reducing absenteeism. If the employees are
satisfied socially and everyone is getting along well they enjoy work to
a much further extent, and hence the morale goes up. Measures that can
be taken to improve social environment is to arrange social events and
gatherings so that the employees can get to know each other and
socialise outside the everyday scene. A lot of companies are familiar
with events like ‘last Friday of the month’ gatherings where employees
come together to have a few drinks and relax and socialise. These
‘events’ can also be conducted within the work place and it doesn’t
have to be very time consuming indeed. Say for example one arranges
for some extras at the lunch hour by for example having one employee
bring a cake or some sweets once a week and let this arrangement
55

alternate amongst employees. This is of no financial constraint to the
organisation and it just promotes a culture where one should focus on
having some treats and some fun time during work. Another measure
that can be undertaken is to provide Recognition – this means reward
the employees that are having low absenteeism. Say for example by
having an arrangement like giving out an award like the employee of
the month. This gives the employee recognition amongst other
employees and it also sets a good example
Findings and Recommendations.
Main findings from the questioner:
56

1. Job satisfaction levels seems to be high
2. Physical work environment is good, however the employees
have insinuated needs for some small changes and need for new
facilities
3. Social work environment amongst employees is good, however
a few percentages of the respondents have issued concerns on this topic
4. Management - employee relationship seems to be satisfactory
5. Salary structure is not sufficient
6. Work morale is average and above
7. Main cause of absenteeism is related to physical chronic
problems.
8. Second larges cause of absenteeism is general sickness
These are the major findings from this survey. So I have subtracted 8
points to summarise the main findings. Now if we look at these points
and evaluate which ones that needs to be addressed most urgently by
the management I think I would make a list that narrows the findings
down to 4 points which should be addressed.
These are as follows
1. Physical working environment
2. Social working environment
3. Reasons of absenteeism – chronic physical problems and general
sickness
4. Motivation
57

The reason for choosing these 4 points as the areas to further explore is
that the other findings seems either to be satisfactory or it seems that
they cannot be changed by management.
So I’ll discuss each of these 4 points in detail and give
recommendations as to how to improve them.
1. Physical working environment
The employees has basically rated this area in a pretty favourable way,
however it seems that there is some room for improvement. So I would
suggest for the management to sit down with all the employees and
have a general meeting where they could conduct a brain storming
session on how they could further improve the facilities at the
institution. At the meeting they could discuss certain needs and wants
and suggest that the employees think about the issue further and write
down suggestions etc and forward it to the management i.e. via a
suggestion box. Now the budget also needs to be considered in order to
keep it realistic but it may be found that the employees just need some
small adjustments to be done and that these can be improved quite
easily and hence improve the working environment as such. The
employees will be satisfied to a greater level and this again reflects on
a person’s motivation and satisfaction levels.
2. Social working environment
58

Again the employees has rated this issue in a rather favourable way but
I believe that this is an area that needs attention because it is so
extremely important. The social environment at a workplace is highly
interrelated with a persons general welfare and having a great social
working environment can definitely help in reducing absenteeism. If
the employees are satisfied socially and everyone is getting along well
they enjoy work to a much further extent, and hence the morale goes
up. Often employees will even call in sick if they are having a problem
with another employee, because it causes so much stress. In case of
ongoing grievance amongst employee’s the management definitely
needs to go in to dialog with both the parties that are involved in the
problem and try to solve it. If the problem cannot be solved through
communication alone the management may have to resort to measures
like planning their manpower in a way that certain people will not be
sharing a particular shift together. However this is not advisable and
should not be necessary, through communication people should be able
to solve grievances and improve the social environment around them.
Other measures that can be taken to improve social environment is to
arrange social events and gatherings so that the employees can get to
know each other and socialise outside the everyday scene. A lot of
companies are familiar with events like ‘last Friday of the month’
gatherings where employees come together to have a few drinks and
relax and socialise. These ‘events’ can also be conducted within the
work place and it doesn’t have to be very time consuming indeed. Say
for example one arranges for some extras at the lunch hour by for
59

example having one employee bring a cake or some sweets once a
week and let this arrangement alternate amongst employees. This is of
no financial constraint to the organisation and it just promotes a culture
where one should focus on having some treats and some fun time
during work. The key to a good social environment at any organisation
is communication. Let the employees know that they can approach
management in case of any grievance and measures will be taken to
solve them before they get out of hand.
60

3. Reasons of absenteeism – chronic physical problems and general
sickness
When it comes to general illness there will always be a presence of this
to some extent, however I do believe that this type of absenteeism can
be reduced by raising the general motivation levels. If people are happy
at work and the environment is good, then they will be looking forward
to come to work and they will not skip a day of work unless it is really
necessary. When it comes to chronic physical injuries and problems
the management can also take measures in order to reduce these
problems. First of all the employees needs to be properly trained in
working positions so that they do not inflict injuries onto themselves
during daily chores. There are various techniques that should be
considered when doing heavy lifting etc. once the employees is being
taught about this they will be more aware and hence they will avoid
straining themselves unnecessarily. Further the institution should offer
regular health checks so that potential injuries and health problems can
be discovered and treated before it is to late. Job rotation can also be
helpful in certain situations. Say a nurse that is having severe back
problems, will be given other tasks that usual in order to avoid strain
on her body. This way one avoids long periods of absenteeism due to
these problems. Even if an employee might not be able to complete
their regular duties doesn’t mean that they cant be useful to the
organisation in a different field. Also when people are absent from
61

work for a long time they tend to loose confident and motivation and
tends to fear starting work again. So it is always better to offer the
employee some kind of replacement of duties so that the person is still
active in work life
4. Motivation.
Here we come to the final and most important point. Motivation is the
key issue to be addressed when it comes to work performance. It
interrelates with any of the other causes of absenteeism. If an employee
is highly motivated he will attend work on a regular basis despite
facing certain problems. Now what we need to look at is how can the
organisation improve the morale amongst its employees.
Here are some measures to be taken:
Management Style - the job of a manager in the workplace is to get
things done through employees. To do this the manager needs to
motivate employees. It can be said that job performance equals ability
+ motivation. The management may achieve high motivation amongst
its employees through certain strategies like positive reinforcement,
treating people fairly, satisfying employees needs, setting work related
goals, base rewards on job performance etc
Change Working Conditions – regarding co-worker relationships.
Not only does relationship stress occur between the employee and
manager, but it also exists between employees. Quite often employees
will stay home from work due to grievances with colleagues.
62

Companies that adopted policies and values that promote employee
respect and professionalism, and promote an internal conflict resolution
procedure, are companies that reduce employee stress. A reduction in
employee stress reduces employee absenteeism.
Provide Incentives: An incentive provides an employee with a boost
to their motivation to avoid unnecessary absenteeism.
with an employee who is frequently absent.
Recognition – the management could also take measures to reward the
employees that are having low absenteeism. Say for example by having
an arrangement like giving out an award like the employee of the
month. This gives the employee recognition amongst other employees
and it also sets a good example
63

Limitations.
The main limitation in my project was that I was not allowed access to
records of absenteeism by the institution. The reason for this is that the
organisation is not that big and the management felt that such
information should not be disclosed to a student. However I was able to
undertake my survey and interact closely with the employees of Siljan
Nursing home.
64

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Industrial Relations and Personnel Management
- Prof. Dr. M.V. Pylee and A. Simon George
Human resource management - Anjali Ghanekar
Websites
www.norway.no
www.businesslink.gov.uk
www.ssb.no
www.siljankommune.no
65

QUESTIONNAIRE ON STUDY OF ABSENTEEISM Name:
________________
Age: ________________ No. of years in service :_____________
To which extent are these statements True?
Job satisfaction.
1. My job position in the institution is interesting.
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
2. My daily chores in the institution are challenging.
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
3. I am given a high level of responsibility from my superiors.
67

A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
Work environment.
4.There are several aspects of my work place that I would like to
change
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
5. There are several facilities that I am missing at my workplace
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
6. The working environment in this institution is good
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
68

C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
7. The social environment amongst employees is good
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
8. My relationship with other colleagues is good
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
9. My relationship with my superiors is good
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
10. My colleagues are highly supportive.
69

A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
11. I interact with the company s management staff without hesitating.
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
Non monetary and monetary benefits
12. The salary I receive is satisfactory
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
13. The non monetary services offered at the institution is satisfactory
70

A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
Absenteeism
14. My absenteeism records are high
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
15. My absenteeism records are low
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
16. The cause of my absenteeism is chronically problems related to
physical injuries
A) Not at all
71

B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
17. The cause of my absenteeism is related to general sickness
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
18. The cause of my absenteeism is related to mental illness
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
19 .the cause of my absenteeism is related to personal problems i.e.
family
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
72

E) Highly
20. I would rate my work morale as high
A) Not at all
B) To some Extent
C) Average
D) To great extent
E) Highly
73

0601067 absentism

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to 0601067 absentism

Similar to 0601067 absentism (20)

More from Supa Buoy

More from Supa Buoy (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

0601067 absentism