0601067 absentism

1

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.

2

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)

3

4

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

5

Executive summary.

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

6

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.

7

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.

8

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;

9

• 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.

10

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

11

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.

12

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

13

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

14

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.

15

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.

16

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.

17

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.

18

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.

19

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.

20

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.

21

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,

22

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

23

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.

24

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.

25

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,

26

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.

27

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

21

1413

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Not at all To someextent

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.

28

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.

29

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.

30

Job satisfaction - conclusion

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.

31

Work environment.

4. There are several aspects of my work place that I would like to

change


5

19

0

42

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.

32

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.

33

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.

34

7. The social environment amongst employees is good


23

12

67

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.

35

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.

36

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.

37

10. My colleagues are highly supportive.


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.

38

11. I interact with the company s management staff without

hesitating.


0

2

56

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.

39

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.

40

Non monetary and monetary benefits

12. The salary I receive is satisfactory


3

1213

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

41

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

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.

42

13. The non monetary services offered at the institution is

satisfactory


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’.

43

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

structure is decided on national level and is not worked out by

employees at the institution.

44

Absenteeism

14. My absenteeism records are high.


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.

45

15. My absenteeism records are low


6

3

12

45

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Not at all To some extent Average To great extent Highly

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.

46

16. The cause of my absenteeism is chronically problems related to

physical injuries

67

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

47

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

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.

48

17. The cause of my absenteeism is related to general sickness


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

49

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

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.

50

18. The cause of my absenteeism is related to mental illness


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.

51

19 .the cause of my absenteeism is related to personal problems i.e.

family


8

12

5

23

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.

52

20. I would rate my work morale as high.


0

2

1211

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.

53

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.

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.

54

Conclusion – objectives

1. The main causes of absenteeism at Siljan sykehjem.

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.

55



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

56

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

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

57

Findings and Recommendations.

Main findings from the questioner:

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

58

4. Motivation

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.

59

2. Social working environment

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

60

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 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.

61

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

62

organisation in a different field. Also when people are absent from

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

63

will stay home from work due to grievances with colleagues.

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

64

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.

65

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

66

Annexure

67

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

68

3. I am given a high level of responsibility from my superiors.

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

69

B) To some Extent

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

70

10. My colleagues are highly supportive.

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

71

13. The non monetary services offered at the institution is satisfactory

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

72

A) Not at all

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

73

D) To great extent

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