INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECT

Absenteeism refers to unauthorized

absence of the worker from his job. It affects the workers earnings. It

reduces the production and the output. It also curtails the morale and

the efficiency of the workers. Absenteeism refers to the frequency of

absence of the jobholder from the workplace either unexcused

absence due to some avoidable reasons or long absence due to some

avoidable reasons.

DEFINITION.
The Labour Department, Govt

of India defines absenteeism as the “total man shifts lost because of

absences as a percentage of the total number of man shifts scheduled

to work”. This definition does not include absence on account of

authorized leave, layoff, retrenchment, strikes, etc.

Rate of absenteeism (ROA)

Rate of Absenteeism is defined as the time

lost through absenteeism expressed as a percentage of time

scheduled to work. The formula is:

 ROA = Total number of man shift lost due to absenteeism

during the year / Total umber of man shift scheduled to work during

the year

ABSENTEEISM IN INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS

In India the problem of absenteeism is

greater than any other countries. This has always been a major

problem of Indian industries. When

the needs of the country requires greater emphasis upon increase of

productivity and the economic and rational utilization of time and

materials at our disposal, it is necessary to minimize absenteeism to

the maximum possible extent certain companies have reported

absenteeism as high as 40 % in certain seasons or days. Royal

commission on labours reported that absenteeism is high in rural

plantations and mines and it is higher in North India than in South

India.

MAGNITUDE OF ABSENTEEISM

The phenomenon of absenteeism is a

universal fact part. But its magnitude alone differs from country to

country. Similarly it differs from industry to industry, occupation to

occupation and also differs according to the make –up of the

workforce. The rate of absenteeism ranges from 9 to nearly 30 %.

Anything above this rate is considered to be abnormal.

CAUSES OF ABSENTEEISM

The causes of absenteeism are as

variegated and numerous as human being themselves. They can be

however, be classified as.

Personal factors - Such as age, marital status, health, education,

hobbies etc.

Work Environments- Such as working conditions, relations with co-

workers,

Relations with superiors and attitude towards job.

Economic factors - Such as subsidiary economic interest.

Regional factors - Such as legislation, politics, geographical situation

etc.

 Organizational factors - Such as type and size of the

company, assigned workload, nature of work, shift arrangements,

management attitudes, and supervisory qualities, leave facilities,

fringe and medical facilities.

Social factors- Such as religion, community obligations, customs,

Festivals, marriages, death and funerals.

PECULIAR FEATURES OF ABSENTEEISM

On the basis of micro studies

undertaken in different parts of the country, highlights certain peculiar

features of absenteeism. They are as follows.

• The rate of absenteeism is the lowest on the payday; it

increases considerably on the days following the payment of

wages and bonus. The level of absenteeism is comparatively

high immediately after payday when workers feel like having a

“good time”.

• The increase of absenteeism has been found higher both

before and after a holiday than that on normal days.

• Absenteeism is generally high among workers below 25 years

of age and those above 40.The younger employees are

not regular and punctual, generally because of a sense of

irresponsibility. On the other hand, the older people are

unable to with stand the strenuous nature of the work.

• Absenteeism is higher in larger concerns than in the small

ones. In the case of small concerns there is personal

relationship between the employer and the employees which

helps to reduce the extend of absenteeism. In big concerns

three is no personal relationship between the employer and

 the employee and may be frequently absent from duty

because of the sense of alteration and lack of commitment.

• The percentage of absenteeism is generally higher in the night

shifts than in the day shifts. This is so because workers in the

night shift experience greater discomfort and uneasiness in

their course of their work than they do during daytime.

• The high percentage of absenteeism is due to the

engagement of laborers in the fields, marriages and festivals,

which together are estimated to account for about 75 percent

of the causes of withdrawals, drunkenness, relaxation or

sickness.

Measures for control of Absenteeism

The encyclopedia of social sciences

suggests the following measures to reduce the rate of absenteeism.

1) The personnel management should encourage notification,

especially in cases of sickness when the duration of

absences is likely to be long.

2) In cases of personal and family circumstances e.g., illness

of children in the case of married women employee, which

 make absences unavoidable leave, should be granted

liberally.

3) To reduce the unavoidable absence due to sickness and

industrial accidents, programs of industrial hygiene and

safety should be strengthened.

4) Regularity in attendance can be encouraged to some

extend by the offer of a bonus and other pecuniary

inducements.

5) Absenteeism is probably a natural human reaction to the

routine factory life. There is mal adjustment between

man’s instincts and desires and the regular working habits

that are imposed on him. The routine can be relaxed and

modified by grant of leave with pay, by shortening or

redistributing scheduled hours, by having employees

nearer to their places of work, and by adjusting the

physical conditions of the plan, especially noise and

ventilation.