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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT COLUMN

INTRODUCTION

Over the past 5 years, figures on workplace absenteeism withinNorth America have demonstrated an upward trend. Statistics basedon front-line staff within the B.C Cancer Agency, VancouverCancer Centre parallel these findings. This article will take a deeperlook into workplace absenteeism, including costs, reasons, measure-ments, and possible solutions.

COSTS OF WORKPLACE ABSENTEEISM

During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, the B.C Cancer Agency (BCCA)spent more than $1.8 million on sick time costs for front-line staff.Analysis of one department within the BCCA revealed that the average number of sick days taken per employee had increased overthe years (see Figure 1).1 While this is a small set of data, the resultsdo parallel the upward trend seen in many other organizations during the last 5 years in North America.

REASONS FOR EMPLOYEE ABSENTEEISM

According to CCH Incorporated, a leading provider of informationservices for businesses, only one-third of unscheduled absences aredue to personal illness, while two-thirds are for other reasons,including family issues (21 percent), personal needs (18 percent),

stress (12 percent), and entitlement mentality (14 percent).2

Family issues may include sickness of a family member, emergencymedical care and other appointments for family members, attendingschool functions, issues with pets, and attending funerals.3 Personalneeds include appointments such as doctor, bank, or lawyerappointments; transportation issues; travel arrangements (such ashaving to make a flight on time); and appointments that requirestaying home (furniture being delivered, service appointments, etc.).3

Stress as a reason for absenteeism has increased over 300 percentsince 1995. There are two types of stress: the stress experienced atwork and the stress suffered away from work.3 Studies have shownthat employees suffering from high levels of work-related stress and,therefore, low workplace morale, have higher rates of absenteeism.4

There can be many different causes contributing to low workplacemorale, including, but not limited to, having a poor relationshipwith your manager; issues with co-workers, such as disagreementsand tension; rumors and gossip within the workplace; and workloaddemands and deadlines.4 According to Health Canada, other reasons for workplace stress include budget pressures that do notallow for any buffers, such as coffee breaks or replacements for sickstaff; continued cutbacks; job insecurity; lack of leadership; and limited career opportunities with a flattened organization.5 OneCanadian study estimated the cost of stress at work to be more than5.4 billion dollars annually in absenteeism, lost productivity, andhealth-related expenses.6

Stress experienced outside of work can include issues with relationshipsand personal finances. Stress related to personal finances is perceivedto be one of the most influential sources of psychological stressbecause many basic life activities are associated with personal financialresources and their management. Poor health that is not work-relatedis yet another stressor that can also result in mental stress.6

Entitlement mentality is a growing occurrence in the workplace.This is the feeling of employees that they are entitled to use all ofthe sick time they accrue. With the onset of unions and paid sicktime, some employees have the mentality that sick time is owed tothem whether they are sick or not.3

Presenteeism is a new phenomenon within the workplace.Conversely to absenteeism, in which the employee does not come towork, the term “presenteeism” refers to employees who come towork in spite of illness. The word was coined by Professor CaryCooper, a psychologist specializing in organizational management atManchester University in the United Kingdom.7

Presenteeism, or, not taking time off while ill, can actually lead tolonger absences as health worsens and minor problems are exacer-bated. It is not only a poor solution for those who are sick, it causesproblems for the rest of their colleagues as well. In fact, presenteeism

Absenteeism—Is it Making You Sick?

Kelly Gill, BSc, RTT, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Cancer Centre, Vancouver, B.C

Keri Smith, RTT, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Cancer Centre, Vancouver, B.C

6.5

8.3

9.0

13.6

11.5

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Year

Figure 1. The Average Number of Sick Days per Employee, 2002-20061

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can have catastrophic effects on the workforce’s output, and canpresent hidden long-term costs.8 Workers may feel that they cannotstay home while sick for several reasons: because of important workthat must be completed, to avoid burdening coworkers with extrawork, or out of fear that they will be penalized when absent. Butdespite their show of loyalty, workers who show up while sick arenot likely to be able to perform at their usual level of productivity.3,7,8

Also, in the case of any contagious diseases, they may transmit theillness to fellow employees, causing a larger fallout.3,7,8 This has beenthe case for illnesses such as the Norwalk virus. Healthcare profes-sionals must be even more diligent with regard to patients and theirstate of health. In these cases, the total absence-time increases as anillness spreads within the workplace, with additional workers beingaffected and having to take time off. Some research suggests thatpresenteeism is costing organizations even more than absenteeism.9

MEASURING EMPLOYEE ABSENTEEISM

The escalating issue of workplace absenteeism has many managersturning to human resource tools to determine the size of the problemwithin their organization. The Bradford Factor is once such toolused as a means of measuring absenteeism. The exact origin isunknown, but has some connections with Bradford University’sSchool of Management, hence its name.10 The theory explains thatshort, frequent, and unplanned absences are more disruptive thanlonger absences (see Figure 2).10

As can be seen from the above example, an individual taking 10 singledays off over the course of the year is 100 times worse than an indi-vidual who takes 10 consecutive days off during the year. Withincompanies using the Bradford Factor, the action range usually startsat around 50 points, prompting an initial review. Higher scoresprompt an escalation to further action.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Identifying the root cause of employee absenteeism is the first stepin developing an integrated management and prevention plan.Addressing absences and work-life issues is critical to reducingunscheduled absences, as well as improving or retaining a workforce’s productivity.

One solution is ensuring that disciplinary policies are applied fairlyacross the entire organization. It can be very ineffective if onedepartment is handling absenteeism differently than anotherdepartment. It is important that everyone feel as though they are being treated equally.11 Rewarding employees with little or noabsenteeism is another possible solution that may help to reduce

employee absenteeism. For example, publishing the names of thestaff with the least amount of sick time each year in a monthlynewsletter is a small reward, but it recognizes those staff members,giving them a sense of pride and accomplishment. Ability to scheduletime off with short notice is another potential solution. This solutionmay be difficult to apply within the healthcare setting, as it can presentscheduling challenges. However, if employers allowed some vacationtime to be put into a pool that employees could use at the lastminute, it might prevent employees from having to use sick time.

These examples are low-cost benefits, and can have a substantialimpact on how satisfied employees are with their jobs. The more satisfied employees are with their jobs, the less likely they are to callin sick at the last minute.

CONCLUSION

Employee absenteeism is resulting in high costs for organizations.The solutions to this dilemma are individual to an organization;however, the issue can be managed by employees taking personalresponsibility for their absenteeism, and by managers striving tohave a good working relationship with his or her employees, whileapplying a fair and consistent attendance policy.

REFERENCES

1. British Columbia Cancer Agency internal data.

2. CCH [homepage on the Internet]. c2007 [cited 2007 May 1]. Costlyproblem of unscheduled absenteeism continues to perplex employers.2005 Unscheduled absence survey. Available from: http://hr.cch.com/press/releases/absenteeism/

3. Bushman M. Tips for improving employee morale and reducing absen-teeism [monograph on the Internet]. Delaware: Associated Content; c2007[updated 2003; cited 2007 May 1]. Available from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/124133/tips_for_improving_employee_morale.html

4. Canada H. What do we know about the organizational sources of stress?Health EW, editor. 2004.

5. Douglas MJ. The business case for corporate wellness [monograph on theInternet]. Monster.ca; c2007 [cited 2007 May 1]. Available from:http://solutions.monster.ca/12826_en-CA_p1.asp

6. Medicinenet.com [homepage on the Internet]. SanClemente, CA:WebMD; c1996-2007 [cited 2007 May]. Definition of presenteeism.Available from: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=40516

7. Wikipedia [homepage on the Internet]. [updated 2007 March 19; cited 2007 May 1st]. Presenteeism. Available from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presenteeism

8. Lovell VP. No time to be sick: why everyone suffers when workers don’thave paid sick leave. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s PolicyResearch; 2004.

9. Incomes Data Services [homepage on the Internet]. Andover, UK; c2007[updated 2006 October 27; cited 2007 May 1]. The bradford factor – thepros and cons of this absence review technique. Available from:http://www.incomesdata.co.uk/studies/bradford.htm

10. Kronos [homepage on the Internet]. c2003-2007 [updated 2006; cited2007 May 1]. Absence management solutions gain market momentum.Available from: http://www.kronos.com/About/pr_Absence_management_apr20.htm

Figure 2. The Bradford Factor

B = S2 X DB = Bradford Factor scoreS = number of occasions you are absent over a 52 week periodD = the total number of days absent during a 52 week period

Example:• 10 absences of 1 day each is (10 x 10 x 10) = 1000 points• One single absence of 10 days is (1 x 1 x 10) = 10 points