Absenteeism In Workplace Research Articles

Proximity and choice of College of Distance Education (CoDE) of the University of Cape Coast for further studies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the proximity of study centres to the students of College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE/UCC) and whether further studies of distance learners who were teachers and employees could lead to absenteeism in their workplaces.Design/methodology/approachA sequential explanatory strategy was used. A self-administered questionnaire and unstructured interviews as well as observation guides were employed to collect data from 2,077 students pursuing business and education programmes of CoDE in all study centres across Ghana. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and pattern matching of content analysis.FindingsThe study found that few teachers and other workers pursuing the distance education do absent themselves from the workplace or classroom on Fridays preceding their face-to-face session because they embarked on their journey to the study centres on Friday morning. Some teachers also absented themselves from work on Mondays after face-to-face sessions for a lack of means of transport on Sunday after lessons. The absenteeism of these respondents directly and indirectly affected their employers, students and customers.Practical implicationsIt was therefore recommended that management of CoDE/UCC should open more study centres in all the regions especially Western, Ashanti, Upper East, Northern and Upper West Regions to reduce number of hours spent by students to their study centres and consider introducing the business programmes at the existing district centres to reduce average distance covered by these students to commute from their places of work to their respective centres in the regional capitals. It was also recommended that online/electronic learning and audio versions (impersonal communication) of the study modules should be introduced so that students would not necessary have to travel to the study centre to participate in lectures/face-to-face sessions.Originality/valueThe findings of this study will help managers and administrators of both public and private distance educational providers. In addition to providing basis and areas for establishing study centres for geographical proximity, findings of the study should prove helpful for designing and delivering electronic and audio versions of distance education modules to reduce the level of absenteeism in workplace for the students.

Depression and the Impact on Productivity in the Workplace: Findings from a South African Survey on Depression in the Workplace

Objectives: The World Health Organization predicts the rise of the global burden of depression to become the leading cause of disability by 2030. The study aimed to 1) address a gap in the literature in terms of baseline data for assessing the burden and impact of depression in the South African workplace, and 2) quantify the links between depression, cognitive dysfunction, absenteeism and presenteeism by means of the Impact of Depression in the Workplace in Europe Audit (IDEA) online survey. Methods: 1061 employed adults in South Africa were recruited for the IDEA online survey. Self-reported answers were recorded for various demographic variables, diagnosis of depression, number of days taken off for depression (absenteeism), and work performance ratings and behaviours while working with depression (presenteeism). The responses pertaining to absenteeism and presenteeism were analysed according to the presence or absence of cognitive dysfunction. Results: 278 or 26.2% of respondents reported an experience of diagnosed depression. Depression was significantly associated with being older, female, divorced and working in a small company compared to a large company. Cognitive dysfunction while depressed had a highly significant association with presenteeism, as shown by a substantial drop in subjective ratings of job performance (p < 0.001) and significantly poorer working behaviours. Respondents without cognitive dysfunction were absent from work for fewer days than those with cognitive dysfunction (13.2 versus 21.5 days) but this did not reach significance. Conclusion: Presenteeism is a more pressing concern than absenteeism in the South African workplace. There is a vital need to improve employees’ access to quality treatment preferably through programs based on integrated care models

Development and Validation of an Employee Absenteeism Scale

Given the staggering costs of absenteeism in the workplace, a better understanding of its causes and consequences is needed. Therefore, items from an interview by Nicholson and Payne (1987) were incorporated into an absenteeism survey administered to 118 working students. A factor analysis of 13 potential causes of absenteeism yielded two interpretable factors which were Involuntary and Voluntary. Scores on the Voluntary factor were marginally correlated −.17 ( p&lt;.10) with the number of days absent in the last six months, whereas scores on the Involuntary factor were not ( r = −.11, p &gt;.10). These results are discussed in terms of how they help us to understand the complex construct of absenteeism.

Cardiovascular Fitness and Absenteeism in 8,301 Employed Adults

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and absenteeism in the workplace. A total of 8,301 adult males and females who were employed by corporations which participated in a health screening program were used in the study. Absenteeism due to illness, demographic variables, and smoking status were assessed using a written questionnaire, while body fat was measured using skinfold calipers and cardiovascular fitness was assessed using a step test. Results indicated that high levels of cardiovascular fitness were associated significantly with low levels of absenteeism. The relationship remained strong after adjusting for differences in age, gender, income, cigarette smoking, and percent body fat. The association was stronger in females than males.

Absenteeism in the Workplace.

Absenteeism in the Workplace.