This quantitative explorative, descriptive study described factors that influenced absenteeism among nurses in a selected NHS hospital in London. The survey used self-completion questionnaires. Roy’s Adaptation Model was used to contextualise the results obtained from fifty completed questionnaires. Four modes used to categorise the data analysis were physiological needs, self-concept, and role function and interdependence relations. Minor ailments, upper respiratory tract infections and exhaustion as a result of working long hours were found to be the most important causes of absenteeism. Parental responsibilities and taking care of sick children/family members, further influenced rates of absenteeism, while a high workload was considered by respondents as a major contributing factor to their absence from work. Nurses who are often absent due to physical, social or psychological problems should receive counselling and be referred to appropriate resource persons such as occupational nurses, social workers or psychologists. Child care facilities should be provided within the workplace. The units should have adequate staff to cover each shift and workloads should be manageable. Units need ongoing monitoring of absenteeism so that factors contributing to absenteeism rates in specific units could be identified and addressed. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The problem of this study was to determine if employee child care difficulties were related to absenteeism. A case study was conducted among sixty-three employees at a north Dallas bank using a survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze child care difficulties. A majority of employees experienced difficulty when co-workers had child care problems. A majority of the parent employees had difficulty finding sick or emergency/temporary child care, affording child care, and working overtime due to child care. The majority of parents had child care related absences and work interruptions and thirty-nine percent of them considered quitting their jobs due to child care problems. This study implied the need for employer-supported child care options for the bank employees.

This study evaluated the relationship of varying body mass index and average annual health care costs and absenteeism in a group of 524 municipal employees. The 269 employees with health care claims and the 487 employees with attendance records were categorized into five different BMI categories based on self-reported weight and height. Findings from the study suggest that as BMI increases, average annual health care costs and average annual absenteeism increase. However, BMI was only significantly related to absenteeism. The study also found significant relationships between education and health care costs and absenteeism. No significant differences for health care costs or absenteeism were found based on race, age, gender, wellness center membership, or smoking status.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: B, page: 0915. Adviser: Benjamin C. Amick, III. Includes bibliographical references.

As the literature on work–family conflict grows and absenteeism increasingly comes into the spotlight, one cannot help but ask the question: “What is an acceptable absenteeism rate and how can an organisation control and manage absenteeism?” With current absenteeism rates as high as 12% and with an estimated R12 million lost per annum because of absenteeism, the idea of an on-site employer-sponsored childcare facility seems viable. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between absenteeism and on-site employer- sponsored childcare. The following dimensions of absenteeism will be examined over a period of a year: absence frequency, absence intensity, attitudinal absence and medical absence. The results of two companies, one with a facility and one without, will then be compared in order to establish the relationship between absenteeism and an on-site facility. To date, evidence remains mixed and the ongoing challenge of establishing real return on equity remains a major barrier to the support of on-site employer-sponsored childcare. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This quantitative explorative, descriptive study described factors that influenced absenteeism among nurses in a selected NHS hospital in London. The survey used self-completion questionnaires. Roy’s Adaptation Model was used to contextualise the results obtained from fifty completed questionnaires. Four modes used to categorise the data analysis were physiological needs, self-concept, and role function and interdependence relations. Minor ailments, upper respiratory tract infections and exhaustion as a result of working long hours were found to be the most important causes of absenteeism. Parental responsibilities and taking care of sick children/family members, further influenced rates of absenteeism, while a high workload was considered by respondents as a major contributing factor to their absence from work. Nurses who are often absent due to physical, social or psychological problems should receive counselling and be referred to appropriate resource persons such as occupational nurses, social workers or psychologists. Child care facilities should be provided within the workplace. The units should have adequate staff to cover each shift and workloads should be manageable. Units need ongoing monitoring of absenteeism so that factors contributing to absenteeism rates in specific units could be identified and addressed. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

This study is an assessment of the effect of absenteeism on service delivery in the Eastern Cape Department of Health: Nelson Mandela Bay District Municipality. The work was a corollary of repetitive negative feedback from the press that the researcher was concerned and embarked to investigate possible causes of these allegations by the press. The Department of Health being a public entity has a responsibility to provide quality health services to the community. Government introduced a service delivery mechanism which is enshrined in the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service in 1997, through the Batho Pele principles. The researcher argued that if the Batho Pele principles were practiced in the delivery of services the aforementioned repetitive feedback on health services would be minimal. Among a variety of possibilities that could cause the Batho Pele principles not to be practiced the researcher was interested to ascertain if absenteeism could be among them. The researcher asserted that, if human capital is the delivery tool of services, the absence of the human capital therefore posed a negative effect on the delivery of such services. Therefore an inverse relationship exists between absenteeism and service delivery. This relationship was affirmed by the responses of participants through the analysis of questionnaires on absenteeism and service delivery. Absenteeism is a management aspect that has a negative effect in both the financial and delivery aspect of the organisational performance. It is therefore the researchers’ sincere hope that the Department of Health will consider the deductions drawn from this study and recommendations thereof. The researcher further hopes that this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in relation to organisational behaviour and becomes employer ammunition for service delivery.

Absenteeism is a grave problem in the workplace in South Africa. One can expect that the impact and patterns would differ from one sector to another. For instance the seriousness of absenteeism in a hospital or the security sector would not be the same as for a coffee shop or being absent from a school. However, absenteeism needs to be addressed in all sectors of the economy since it leads to losses in production and output, as well as a reduction in profits in many South African companies. This study explores absenteeism only in the security industry in Gauteng Province. The personal experiences of practitioners and managers regarding absenteeism, its extent and the impact in this province were examined during the research undertaken for this project. The aims of this study were largely the following: • To determine the main causes and reasons given for the current level of absenteeism among contract security personnel in the private security industry in Gauteng; • To see whether gender and employment grade contribute towards the absence of security officers during working hours; • To find out whether security officers routinely submit a sick note after being absent; • To ascertain management practices and responses to combating absenteeism, and • To identify what can be done to reduce absenteeism. The main research instrument used was a questionnaire. Some experienced academics were interviewed prior to administering the questionnaires to respondents in order to provide expert opinion and advice regarding this problem. Two different questionnaires were prepared, one for managers and one for security officers. The questionnaire had both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to security officers in the Gauteng region, and one hundred to security managers. The questionnaires for the managers had 48 questions while those for the security officers contained 38 questions. Those academics and security managers interviewed all agreed that absenteeism is a workplace problem in the country, a problem that currently has not been investigated in sufficient detail. They accepted that a formal study of this nature would be worthwhile doing in the private security industry. Furthermore, a literature review was undertaken while a close analytical examination of the various concepts being used in the research was also done. The literature provided the theoretical base to which the study was able to link the collected information from the empirical part obtained by means of the questionnaires. The sources for the literature review consisted of books, journals, the internet and newspaper articles. The research established various causes of absenteeism in the industry, with the main ones being: i) Poor salaries ii) Long working hours iii) Poor communication with immediate supervisor iv) Transport problems v) Poor working conditions vi) Family problems, and vii) Boredom The exploration done in this research was intended primarily to determine ways to address absenteeism. The ideal solution would be to reduce and ultimately prevent absenteeism. As a result and emanating from the research findings a number of recommendations were formulated and directed to the industry as a whole, while others were directed towards the security managers, and lastly some to the security officers themselves. / Criminology / M.Tech. (Security Risk Management)

Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to determine which factors contribute to absenteeism among nurses. A structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to the entire population of nurses who worked at a district hospital in the Limpopo Province. Statistical data analysis, involving factor analysis, frequencies and Chi-squares was performed. The findings revealed that various factors related to the characteristics of the nurse, characteristics of the manager, characteristics of the work and characteristics of the organisation contribute to absenteeism. Professional nurses and sub-professional nurses, as well as nurses younger than 40 and nurses who are 40 years and older, appeared to disagree on the extent to which various factors contribute to absenteeism in the workplace. This study was aimed at assisting organisations and managers in reducing absenteeism in the workplace, and by doing so, improving the quality of care. / Health Studies / MA (HEALTH STUDIES)

This research deals with personality and biographical factors in absenteeism. The literature review looks at personality traits and absenteeism. The following question must then be asked: Can the construct ”personality” be analysed and described within the context of the work environment, and can the relationship between personality, biographical factors and absenteeism be studied empirically. The empirical study focuses on measuring the relationship between personality and absenteeism. The construct ”personality” is presented within the dimensional or trait perspective. The empirical investigation is presented within the functionalistic paradigm (quantitative approach). The chosen measuring instrument, namely, the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF SA 92) was administered by means of a random sample to 72 Aviation Security Officers. The reliability of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire was determined using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient method. To determine if personality is a predictor of absenteeism, stepwise regression analysis was done. The results indicate that the degree (category) of absenteeism is associated only with marital status and number of dependants. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)