DR.P.V.PRABHA MBA,MPHIL,Ph.D DIRECTOR, RVS INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, COIMBATORE,TAMILNADU,INDIA R.MANJU SHREE MBA, M.PHIL,(Ph.D) LECTURER, TAMILNADU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, COIMBATORE, TAMILNADU, INDIA E -MAIL: manjushreesha@gmail.com
Malingering & Absenteeism –due to employee morale
What is absenteeism?
Absenteeism is the term generally used to refer to unscheduled employee absences from the workplace.
In a business sense, absenteeism is the rate at which an employee or employees miss work. Employees may miss full or partial days of work for various reasons Often, with little or no notice to the employer. If such absences become excessive, it is because of mainly low morale of employees.
- sickness
- occasions
- School adimissions
- family sickness
- personal issues
- appointments .etc
When an employee calls in ill, it is not that he is truly ill to work. Low Morale also influences the reasons people call in sick at the last minute. Organizations reporting Poor/Fair morale were more likely to experience unscheduled absenteeism due to
- stress,
- rumors and gossip
- lack of incentive programs
- Attitudes
- Lack of growth opportunity
- Their relationship with manager/supervisor.etc
To Overcome Absenteeism:
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
Morale affects how motivated your employees are to work for you, suggests how much they will do while on shift, and will influence how long they will stay on staff. As a manager, much of the mood within the organization is in your hands. Make sure you do your part to keep morale levels high.The morale of your employees can directly affect the quality of the service and customer care you provide. Because of this, it’s vital to ensure that your staff feels appreciated
After all if employees are dissatisfied with their work environment what on earth is going to compel them to want to go there each day?
Absenteeism due to low morale or job dissatisfaction usually begins with a psychological withdrawal this means that although the employee may be there physically, their mind is somewhere else. Psychological withdrawal can take many forms. An employee may display very low levels of job involvement. At this point the employee has disengaged and no longer considers their work important
Employee absenteeism is directly related to low employee morale presenteeism, a situation where employees come to work even though they are ill and pose potential problems of contagion and lower productivity — continues to be an emerging area of concern. Once again, morale had an impact. Despite higher rates of unscheduled absenteeism overall, companies with low morale have more ill workers showing up for work. Some employees, because of financial commitments or the lack of alternative employment stay in jobs where they are unhappy, further pulling down the morale of the company, and at worst case scenario, filing legal suit against their employers.
Ways to Improve Morale of Employees- 30 Tips to Managers
Improving employee morale would reduce the absenteeism rate. In order to improve employee morale, one must
- Lack of inclusion
- Effective communications
- Care about your employees
- Training
- Employers will need to offer the right incentives even in difficult times
- Train staff to retain their talent continuous feedback
- Focus on motivating
- Be a best leader.
- Give more recognition for a job well done
- Give employees more constructive feedback
- Share information with employees
- Clearly communicate the work to be done
- Give feedback on a regular basis
- Suggestion box
- Plan work effectively
- Treat employees with respect
- Ask employees for input before making decisions that affect their work
- Consult employees before implementing policies that will affect them
- Ensure your people clearly understand their role
- Demonstrate a positive attitude to serve as an example of optimism and achievement
- Set a high standard and show commitment
- Share news that affects the organization to employees
- Show interest in employees personal life
- Challenge your workforce with new opportunities to use and develop their skills
- Acknowledge and appreciate staff
- Be fair
- Interact with staff frequently; and
- Display a positive demeanor whenever possible
- Succession plan
- Open door policy for listening to employee's comments
If an organization follows the above ways, it can easily overcome absenteeism of its employees. The mood of your employees will dramatically affect your business so change their moods which will in turn reduce their absenteeism.
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