Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1989. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Frank Smith. Dissertation Committee: Pearl Kane. Bibliography: leaves 117-123.

Thesis (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1967.

Thesis (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1967.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / This research examined The role of the school principal in reducing teacher absenteeism in primary schools. The study is confined to teacher absenteeism that has a negative impact on teacher performance. It investigates whether teacher absenteeism is a management issue by examining its impact on the work performance of teachers at school. It also looks at the effects of teacher absenteeism on learner performance. / M

The prevalence of health risk behaviours is growing among South African employees. The deteriorating health of the public and the costs there off, which arise from making unhealthy choices about one’s lifestyle, are a major cause of many preventable Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s). The effect of these NCD’s on an organisation can result in employees’ ill health and negative stress, which in turn can lead to absenteeism, presenteeism and thus decreased productivity. Several studies propose that the absenteeism together with presenteeism can cost an organisation up to three times as much as medical costs with stress also being flagged as a severe work-related hazard. Literature shows that ill health affects employee ability to function optimally, thus indirectly affects productivity. Studies on on-site wellness programs, although they report savings in health care costs and increase in productivity, their true effectiveness is not sufficiently measured. To add to this, there is a paucity of work that exists regarding the benefits of on-site wellness programs in South Africa. It is suggested that data about the effect of successful wellness programs does not always make its way to academic literature, thus the observed shortage in investment on such programs from South African companies. This study we aim to find out the effect of on-site wellness programs on absenteeism, presenteeism, stress and health care costs. The results oppose what literature findings report. Reasons for these findings are therefore speculated.

Doctorat en sciences sociales, politiques et économiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Absenteeism is a complex set of behaviours masquerading as a unitary phenomenon. Absenteeism is a big problem in the motor manufacturing industry, especially, because of the number of processes that are labour intensive. Absenteeism is a multifaceted problem with many antecedents which make it challenging to resolve or contain. Financial impact is one of the consequences of absenteeism on a business, especially when one thinks that the primary objective of a firm in to make money. Absenteeism defeats these objectives through cost incurred for overtime to catch up production losses. Furthermore, in cases where replacement of personnel is necessary, this may include administrative costs related to the time human resource personnel spend looking for replacement employees or the time production management spends re-assigning employees. Absenteeism results in decreased productivity and may affect the quality of the product due to the increased workload and burden put on employees who are at work. Absenteeism is classified into scheduled and unscheduled absenteeism. Although some absenteeism is avoidable, it is important to understand that some absence is unavoidable. This is because people may fall ill, get injured or have unavoidable obligations which may lead to absenteeism. The purpose of this study was to identify the antecedents of absenteeism, with the assumption that once they are identified, they can be controlled, reduced or eliminated and the absenteeism rate thus reduced. The theoretical study focused on defining absenteeism, ascertaining the impact of absenteeism in the workplace, especially in an international organisation in the motor manufacturing industry and discussing the antecedents of absenteeism and strategies that can be used to manage these antecedents. The empirical study consisted of a survey, with a questionnaire as a data collecting tool. The process used to conduct the survey was to distribute the questionnaire among production employees in three operational units; namely Final Assembly, Paint Shop and Body Shop at a motor manufacturing company. Employees were approached, the purpose of the questionnaire explained and they were asked if they would be willing to complete the questionnaire. Employees who agreed to complete the questionnaire were briefed on the contents of the questionnaire and the completion process. The relationship between biographical variables and absenteeism was discussed. For the purpose of this study the following independent variables were discussed: age, marital status, gender, work area, length of service and number of dependents. The empirical study focused on the antecedents of absenteeism, and specifically job, organisational and personal factors, as well supervisors‟ attempts to manage absenteeism. The respondents indicated that they believed absenteeism was a problem in the study and that people stayed away for reasons other than genuine illness. It was recommended that absenteeism figures, such as the overall Gross Absence Rate (GAR) and Absence Frequency Rate for the organisation, and specific work areas and teams, are regularly communicated to employees and displayed prominently to emphasise the importance of attendance. Some suggestions were that: Supervisors should foster a genuinely respectful relationship between themselves and employees which will results in employees feeling obliged to be at work. The company should introduce a day care or crèche at work to allow female employees to bring their kids to work in the event they are unable to be looked after at home. Alcohol and drug abuse should not be seen as an external problem in the organisation but rather as something an organisation should get involved in to assist employee who might have a problem. The first step was to create a channel where employee can feel free to approach the company if they are in need of help. The study demonstrated that it was important to identify antecedents in order to address the real problems related to absenteeism.

The purpose of this study was to explain the effect of a lottery-based incentive program on employee absenteeism. Based on a review of the relevant literature, seven variables were examined: (1) past attendance behavior; (2) employee liking for the lottery program; (3) employee perceptions of the contingency of rewards; (4) employee perceptions of acceptable levels of absenteeism; (5) employee perceptions of the clarity of management's attendance goals; (6) employee perceptions of the reasonableness of management's attendance goals; and (7) employee expectations of success in improving attendance. / Master of Science

The study extended the Scott et al. (1985) research by examining the influence of public recognition on employees' attitudes and perceptions toward absenteeism. The main focus was on why the public recognition program was effective in reducing employee absenteeism. To better understand the effectiveness of recognition in reducing absenteeism, a model of the absenteeism/recognition relationship was developed. The model was based on the integration of the need, expectancy, reinforcement, and goal setting theories. It implies that the influence of recognition on attendance behavior is a function of an employee's (1) desire for recognition; (2) belief that attendance is related to recognition; (3) personal attendance goal setting which is a function of an employee's(a)perceived congruency between individual and management's attendance goals, (b) perceived reasonableness of management's attendance goals, and (c) perceived ability to attend in order to meet goals; and (4) recognition award. It was concluded that even though recognition programs have been shown to yield greater reductions in absenteeism than other approaches (e.g., lotteries, financial incentives, etc.), the reasons for its effectiveness are still not known. / Master of Science

The present study investigated absenteeism in a retail department store in an effort to determine which employee and job-related characteristics are related to absenteeism. Theoretical models and empirical research were used to develop a list of potential characteristics that could be related to absenteeism within the retail department store context. Data for this study were obtained from retail department store personnel records and from a questionnaire survey of its employees. Employee and job-related characteristics were matched with information about employee absenteeism to determine if significant relationships or differences between subsamples existed. Analysis of research findings revealed that several employee characteristics, including age, company and job tenure were positively correlated with absenteeism. Wage rates were found to be negatively correlated with absenteeism. Minority employees (n=8) had significantly lower absence rates than nonminorities and part-time employees’ absence rates were higher than full-time employees. In addition, employees' (particularly males) satisfaction with pay, promotional opportunities, supervision, workmates, and work were negatively correlated with frequency of absence. Work unit size showed positive correlation with absence rates and frequencies. An examination of absenteeism in the retail industry indicates that this industry and other non-manufacturing industries need further research. Such studies will help reduce labor costs, meaning lower prices and higher stockholder profits. / Master of Science