The present fast-changing economic environment contributes to the daily challenges faced by organisations in their attempts to maintain a competitive edge. Employees need to be innovative continuously and maintain high levels of productivity in order to reach organisational goals. From a global perspective, a lot of research has been done concerning personal financial wellbeing, yet very little research on this topic could be found in the South African context. Seeing that intellectual capital is regarded as one of the most important assets of any organisation, the current study set out to determine the impact of personal financial wellbeing on employee productivity and absenteeism as part of total employee cost. For this purpose, a confidential online questionnaire was completed voluntarily by sampled employees (n=872) from the manufacturing industry. The results showed that financial interference is an outcome of the level of financial wellbeing; therefore, financial wellbeing does have an impact on financial interference. It was also determined that financial interference, in turn, does have an impact on both productivity and absenteeism. According to the results, personal financial wellbeing also affects both productivity and absenteeism directly. One recommendation for future research is to use this study as a basis from which to more generally improve financial wellbeing in the South African context. Also, more research could be conducted on suitable financial educational programmes to improve financial wellbeing in the South African workplace, as well as on determining a monetary value of the impact of financial wellbeing on productivity and absenteeism. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The present fast-changing economic environment contributes to the daily challenges faced by organisations in their attempts to maintain a competitive edge. Employees need to be innovative continuously and maintain high levels of productivity in order to reach organisational goals. From a global perspective, a lot of research has been done concerning personal financial wellbeing, yet very little research on this topic could be found in the South African context. Seeing that intellectual capital is regarded as one of the most important assets of any organisation, the current study set out to determine the impact of personal financial wellbeing on employee productivity and absenteeism as part of total employee cost. For this purpose, a confidential online questionnaire was completed voluntarily by sampled employees (n=872) from the manufacturing industry. The results showed that financial interference is an outcome of the level of financial wellbeing; therefore, financial wellbeing does have an impact on financial interference. It was also determined that financial interference, in turn, does have an impact on both productivity and absenteeism. According to the results, personal financial wellbeing also affects both productivity and absenteeism directly. One recommendation for future research is to use this study as a basis from which to more generally improve financial wellbeing in the South African context. Also, more research could be conducted on suitable financial educational programmes to improve financial wellbeing in the South African workplace, as well as on determining a monetary value of the impact of financial wellbeing on productivity and absenteeism. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology in Nursing. Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / INTRODUCTION A four-year diploma nursing programme undertaken by the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing provides training to students to become professional nurses. However, it has been noted that absenteeism of student nurses enrolled in this programme has increased. Absenteeism could result in demotion, extension of training or termination of students from the programme. This would result in fewer student nurses completing training and therefore a shortage of professional nurses. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of the study was to determine the causes and effects of absenteeism amongst student nurses that are currently registered for a four-year diploma programme (R425) in the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing (KZNCN). METHODOLOGY A quantitative method was used, which comprised two phases, namely, data collection through the use of a self-administered questionnaire and a retrospective record review. Simple random sampling was used to select students from the peri-urban Midlands and rural uGu districts. Stratified random sampling of 301 student nurses at different levels of training from the three campuses was done. A total of 301 questionnaires were distributed to participants; all were returned, resulting in a 100% response rate. During a retrospective record review student records were examined to assess clinical and theoretical performance of students. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS The results of the study revealed that students experienced problems in the clinical/practical areas that resulted in them absenting themselves. There were 14 terminations of training due to absenteeism. Student nurses who did not absent themselves obtained entry to the examination, whilst students with excessive absenteeism did not obtain entry to the examination.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main objective of the study is to examine the components required for the successful implementation of Sickness Absence Management. Although there are various approaches to the management of absence the focus of this study is the implementation of policies which is the most frequently used approach. Sickness Absence Management represents the strategy of the organisation to enhance the performance of human capital by ensuring that employees that are not truly sick, are present at work. The importance of Sickness Absence Management is highly recognised, but few employers record and measure absence. Reasons for this include the complexity of the factors that influence absence and the lack of resources to record absence data, and to calculate and interpret absence indicators and costs. Frustrations from the study include the non-standardisation of absence terminology, and the lack of data on absence statistics. Sickness Absence Management is complicated by the behaviour of people. Absence trends indicate that abuse of sickness absence amounts to an average of 33% of sickness absence and that absence rates are higher in the public than in the private sector. Success factors for Sickness Absence Management include clear, consistent and well-communicated policies and effective information systems with the required functionalities to record absence data and to enable the tracking of absence indicators. Top management commitment transpired as the factor with the biggest influence on the success of Sickness Absence Management. Research indicated that it was better to have a policy than to have no policy at all. The quality of the policy depends on the involvement of employees and the consistent application by supervisors/managers. Furthermore, an effective computer-based information system is crucial for the management of absence. The system should have the required functionalities to enable administration and decision-making on absence issues. A strategy is necessary to set objectives and targets, and communicate commitment from top management. A strategy is also required to ensure the allocation of resources to HR for the Sickness Absence Management. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die vernaamste doelwit van hierdie studie is om die komponente te ondersoek wat nodig is vir die suksesvolle implementering van Siekverlofbestuur. Hoewel daar verskeie benaderings tot die bestuur van siekverlof is, is hierdie studie gerig op beleid wat as die voorkeurbenadering vir die bestuur van siekverlof beskou word. Siekverlofbestuur is die strategie van ’n onderneming om die prestasie van mensekapitaal te versterk deur te verseker dat die personeel wat nie werklik siek is nie, teenwoordig is by die werk. Die belangrikheid van Siekverlofbestuur word hoog aangeskryf, maar min werkgewers teken siekverlof aan of meet dit. Redes hiervoor sluit in die kompleksiteit van die faktore wat siekverlof beïnvloed en die gebrek aan hulpbronne vir die aantekening van siekverlofdata, en die berekening en interpretasie van siekverlofaanduiders en -koste. Frustrasies uit die studie sluit in die nie-standaardisering van siekverlof terminologie en die gebrek aan siekverlof statistiek. Siekverlofbestuur word gekompliseer deur die gedrag van mense. Siekverlof tendense toon aan dat die misbruik van siekverlof gemiddeld 33% van siekte-afwesigheid uitmaak en dat siekverlofkoerse hoër in die openbare as in die private sektor is. Suksesfaktore vir Siekverlofbestuur sluit in duidelike en konsekwente beleid wat behoorlik gekommunikeer word, en doeltreffende inligtingstelsels met die nodige funksionaliteit om siekverlofdata vas te lê en siekverlof aanwysers na te volg. Die verbintenis van topbestuur het na vore gekom as die faktor met die grootste invloed op die sukses van Siekverlofbestuur. Navorsing dui daarop dat dit beter is om 'n beleid te hê as hoegenaamd geen beleid nie. Die gehalte van die beleid hang af van die betrokkenheid van werknemers en die konsekwente toepassing daarvan deur toesighouers/bestuurders. Daarby is 'n doeltreffende rekenaar-gebaseerde inligtingstelsel noodsaaklik vir die bestuur van siekverlof. Die stelsel moet ook die nodige funksionaliteite hê vir administrasie en besluitneming oor siekverlof kwessies. 'n Strategie is nodig om doelwitte en teikens te stel, en om toewyding vanaf topbestuur te kommunikeer. 'n Strategie is ook nodig om die toewysing van hulpbronne vir Siekverlofbestuur na Menslike Hulpbronne te verseker. / cmc2010-1

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between emotional intelligence, burnout and absenteeism of bus drivers in the scheduled public bus services industry. A controlled inquiry of non-experimental research was used. In addition, correlational and multivariate research, as a form of relational research, was employed to explore the relationships between the three constructs. The constructs were defined as follows: emotional intelligence as the basic capacity of a person to identify and utilise emotion (Goleman, 1998); burnout as a syndrome consisting of three negative response patterns which include: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and diminished personal accomplishment. (Maslach & Jackson 1986, in Schaufeli & Buunk, 2003) and absenteeism as the average numbers of days a driver was absent from work. A sample of 245 bus driver employees was drawn from the depots of Golden Arrow Bus Services (Pty) Ltd. The Swinburne Emotional Intelligence Test (Palmer & Stough, 2001) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen & Christensen, 2005) were administered. The results showed that there was a moderate negative relationship between emotional intelligence and burnout. Emotional management (a dimension of emotional intelligence) was negatively related to all three the dimensions of burnout namely personal burnout, work burnout and client burnout (a dimension of burnout), indicating that where bus drivers are capable of managing emotions, levels of burnout would typically decrease. In exploring the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and absenteeism, no statistically significant relationships were found. In exploring the different dimensions of burnout in their relationship to absenteeism, it did however indicate a small, yet significant positive relationship between work-related burnout and absenteeism. This suggested that bus drivers with a low score in terms of work-related burnout would experience less absenteeism. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om die verwantskap tussen emosionele intelligensie, uitbranding en afwesigheid van busdrywers in die geskeduleerde publieke busbedryf te ondersoek. Daar is gebruik gemaak van 'n nie-eksperimentele navorsingsontwerp (nl. 'n verkennende opnamestudie) ten einde die verband tussen die konstrukte en hul subdimensies te ondersoek. Daarbenewens is korrelatiewe en meerveranderlike navorsing gebruik as 'n vorm van relasionele navorsing om die verhouding tussen die drie konstrukte te ondersoek. Die konstrukte is soos volg gedefinieer: emosionele intelligensie as die basiese kapasiteit van 'n persoon om emosie te identifiseer en te gebruik (Goleman, 1998); uitbranding as 'n sindroom bestaande uit drie negatiewe responskomponente: emosionele uitputting, depersonalisasie en veminderde gevoel van persoonlike bekwaamheid (Maslach & Jackson 1986, in Schaufeli & Buunk, 2003) en afwesigheid as die gemiddelde hoeveelheid dae wat 'n drywer afwesig was by die werk. 'n Steekproef van 245 busdrywers verbonde aan Golden Arrow Bus Services (Edms) Bpk is geneem. Die respondente het die twee vraelyste, nl. die Swinbume Emotional Intelligence Test (Palmer & Stough, 2001) en die Copenhagen Bumout Inventory (Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen & Christensen, 2005) voltooi. Die resultate wys dat daar 'n matige negatiewe verhouding bestaan tussen emosionele intelligensie en uitbranding. Die bestuur van emosies, 'n onderafdeling van uitbranding, is negatief verbind aan al drie die onderafdelings van uitbranding nl. persoonlike uitbranding, werksuitbranding en klientuitbranding. Dit dui daarop dat waar busdrywers bevoeg is om hul emosies te bestuur, vlakke van uitbranding tipies sal verminder. In die ondersoek na die verhouding tussen emosionele intelligensie en afwesigheid is geen betekenisvolle statistiese verhoudings geidentifiseer nie. In die ondersoek na die verhouding tussen die onderafdelings van uitbranding en afwesigheid, is 'n klein, dog betekenisvolle, positiewe verhouding geidentifiseer tussen werksuitbranding en afwesigheid. Dit suggereer dat busdrywers met 'n lae werksuitbrandingsvlak minder afwesig sal wees. Die beperkinge van die studie en voorstelle vir toekomstige navorsing is bespreek.

<p>The relationship between organizational commitment among public health employees within South Africa is becoming a big concern as highlighted in media and studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between organizational commitment and absenteeism amongst different occupational clases within a health sector environment in the Western Cape region.</p>

The aim of the study is to explore how school absenteeism as a material-discursive phenomenon is produced in the practices of humans and nonhumans, when absences and presences are registered and managed through digital technologies. How is the phenomenon of school absenteeism produced when absences and presences are digitally registered? How does the phenomenon of school absenteeism emerge when both human and nonhuman entanglements are included in the apparatuses of knowing? Through a posthumanist approach, the study engages empirically with two types of software for the registration of absences and presences at three Swedish schools. The results show that digital registration blurs the division between absences and presences, and queers what is absent and what is present. Digital registration produces school absenteeism as a phenomenon for all students every day, and at the same time as mainly for the students who are present most of the time. A conclusion that is drawn from the study is that digital registration makes absences present, by the visualization and performative repetition of the registration. The study points to how school absenteeism is always ‘in the making’, and proposes the concept of school absenteeing as a productive way to open up new possibilities in relation to students’ absences. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur skolfrånvaro som materiellt-diskursivt fenomen produceras i mänskliga/icke-mänskliga praktiker, när frånvaro och närvaro hanteras och registreras med hjälp av digitala system. Hur produceras fenomenet skolfrånvaro när elevers frånvaro och närvaro registreras digitalt? Hur framträder fenomenet skolfrånvaro när människor såväl som icke-människor inkluderas i kunskapsproduktionen? I studien skapas empiriska engagemang tillsammans med två digitala system för registrering av frånvaro och närvaro på tre svenska skolor. Genom ett posthumanistiskt perspektiv visar studien att den digitala registreringen suddar ut gränserna mellan frånvaro och närvaro. I sammanvävningar med digitala system blir fenomenet skolfrånvaro mer komplext, eftersom den digitala registreringen producerar skolfrånvaro som ett fenomen för alla elever, varje dag. Samtidigt reducerar den digitala registreringen skolfrånvarons komplexitet och skapar ett fenomen för de elever som för det mesta är närvarande. En slutsats från studien är att registreringen gör vad som är osynligt – det frånvarande – synligt. Studien pekar på hur skolfrånvaro alltid är ett görande och introducerar begreppet school absenteeing [skolfrånvarogöra]. Detta begrepp möjliggör en förståelse av skolfrånvaro som en pågående produktion i mänskliga/icke-mänskliga relationer, snarare än något som elever har eller är och öppnar upp för nya sätt att engagera sig i den alltid närvarande frånvaron.

The aim of the study was to gain an understanding from an insider perspective why dropouts are absent from school. Four qualitative interviews were conducted with former dropouts and two qualitative interviews with school representatives. The interviews were analyzed using theory triangulation based on interactionism, structurally and social constructionism perspective. The results showed that school absenteeism was applied to individual properties. The affecting individual properties differed among the informants. Emotional alienation and personal shortcomings was depicted in the former dropouts. Different medical diagnosis was the main reason for the different individual properties, according to school representatives. Insider perspective highlighted that the former dropouts school absences could be understood as an exclusionary process with feelings of inferiority to anomie. School representatives envisioned that the exclusion process continued because of parental education (in) ability and imagined the home as a comfort zone with "curling parents". Former dropouts waited to be intercepted in the school as a danger zone and understood increased resources necessary for the promotion of school attendance. School representatives realized that aid resources were necessary when absence from school was usual. / Syftet med studien var att få förståelse utifrån ett inifrånperspektiv om varför hemmasittare är frånvarande från skolan. Fyra kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med f.d. hemmasittare och två kvalitativa intervjuer med skolrepresentanter. Intervjuerna analyserades med teoritriangulering utifrån interaktionistiskt, strukturellt och socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv. Resultatet visade att skolfrånvaro kopplades till individegenskaper. Vad dessa individegenskaper berodde på skiljde sig hos informanterna. Känslor som utanförskap och personliga tillkortakommanden skildrades hos f.d. hemmasittarna. Skolrepresentanterna föreställde att individegenskaperna huvudsakligen berodde på medicinska diagnoser.Inifrånperspektivet belyste att f.d. hemmasittarnas skolfrånvaro kunde förstås som en uteslutningsprocess med känslor från underlägsenhet till anomi. Skolrepresentanterna föreställde sig att uteslutningsprocessen fortgick p.g.a. föräldrars uppfostrings (o)förmåga och föreställde sig hemmet som trygghetszon med ”curling föräldrar”. Före detta hemmasittarna väntade på att bli uppfångade i riskzonen, d.v.s. skolan och förstod utökade resurser som nödvändiga för främjandet av skolnärvaro. Skolrepresentanterna ansåg att stödresurser var nödvändiga när frånvaron blivit ett faktum.

D. Tech. (Business, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between job satisfaction, organisational commitment, turnover intention, absenteeism and work performance amongst the academics within South African universities of technology (UoTs). South African higher education has gone through numerous changes in terms of restructuring and transformation. Rapid changes of this nature within a higher education system necessitate alternative work restructuring and arrangements, which could have a potential negative influence on the behaviour of academic staff. Research addressing these problems on the academic staff within UoTs in the context of developing countries such as South Africa has remained scarce. This study, therefore, was conducted to fill this gap. Universities of technology in South Africa employ approximately 2987 (N) academic employees. In order to measure the study constructs, the survey material was designed interactively in a form of a structured questionnaire. Participants were asked to complete five test instruments, namely, job satisfaction survey (JSS), organisational commitment questionnaire (OCQ), intention to stay questionnaire (ISQ), absenteeism questionnaire (AQ), and individual work performance questionnaire (IWPQ). 600 questionnaires were distributed to the identified sample of academics of which 494 (n) responded. A correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the strength and effect size of the relationship between the variables. The maximum correlation value between the constructs were 0.442 thus providing evidence of discriminate validity. Factor analysis was performed for organisational commitment questionnaire (OCQ) and individual work performance questionnaire (IWPQ) through statistical software package SPSS version 22.0. Organisational commitment revealed four factors and all of them accounted for satisfactory total variance explained of 65.2%. Work performance revealed three factors, which also accounted for satisfactory total variance explained of approximately 65%. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to test whether males and females were similar in perception in terms of study constructs. Statistically significant differences were found between gender and four study constructs except work performance. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to examine the differences of the various age categories, which revealed statistically significant differences between the various age categories and study constructs. The reliability results confirmed that all constructs reached the generally agreed upon minimum scale range for Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to establish scale accuracy. All measures conformed to acceptable model fit and composite reliability (CR) and revealed that the scales used in this study are reliable. Finally, the structural model was tested; seven postulated hypotheses were supported and one hypothesis (H8) that postulated the relationship between organisational commitment and work performance was rejected. As such, it was concluded that the conceptual model captured accurate relationships among the variables and that organisational commitment has no significant influence on work performance. After reviewing the results, the conclusion was drawn that the study has both theoretical and practical value as envisaged. Theoretically, this research has contributed by further strengthening organisational commitment as a multidimensional construct. Contrary to some previous studies that reported high levels of significance between organisational commitment and work performance this study found no significance between these constructs. These results contribute more to the expanding body of knowledge. The current study added practical value by providing an integrative model that can be used as an important tool by management within the South African universities of technology to understand and manage job satisfaction, organisational commitment, turnover intention, absenteeism and work performance of academics. The results of this study can also be used for future organisational planning and policymaking. A number of recommendations have been made for the attention of relevant stakeholders in the academic environment. Future research possibilities and limitations of the study have also been highlighted.

Orientador: Yoshie Ussami Ferrari Leite / Resumo: Essa dissertação foi produzida junto ao Programa de Pós-Graduação da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia – UNESP - Campus de Presidente Prudente e está vinculada a linha de pesquisa “Políticas Públicas, Organização Escolar e Formação de Professores”. O nosso objetivo foi identificar os motivos de faltas de professores efetivos do Ensino Fundamental I e conhecer a percepção dos mesmos sobre suas ausências e as relações com o trabalho docente. O absenteísmo de professores se refere aos afastamentos no trabalho justificados por diversos motivos. Devido ao aumento no índice de faltas registrado pelos funcionários da Secretaria de Educação no município de Presidente Prudente, tivemos a necessidade de pesquisarmos esse fenômeno sob a ótica de seus protagonistas. Esse estudo foi realizado na perspectiva da abordagem qualitativa com uso da entrevista narrativa como procedimento metodológico. A entrevista narrativa foi elaborada com base nas ideias de Jovchelovich; Bauer (2002) sobre a preparação, iniciação, narração central, fases de perguntas e fases conclusivas. Realizamos a entrevista narrativa com seis professoras efetivas do ensino fundamental I na faixa etário de 31 a 62 anos. A análise das narrativas foi feita a partir da compreensão-interpretativa apresentada por Souza (2014). Os resultados da pesquisa evidenciam que a necessidade do professor se ausentar da sala de aula não está associada ao seu descomprometimento com a educação dos alunos. Os maiores motivos de faltas dos pr... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This Mater’s thesis was written with the Graduation Program of the Faculty of Science and Technology – UNESP – Presidente Prudente Campus and it is linked to the research line named “Public Policies, School Organization and Teacher Training”. Our objective was to identify reasons why teachers are absent from work in elementary schoolsand get to know the perception of these teachers about their absences and their relations to the teaching job. Teachers’ absenteeism concerns absences at work justified by several reasons. Due to an increase in absences registered by the Secretary of Education in the municipality of Presidente Prudente, we found it necessary to research this phenomenon from the point of view of their protagonists. This study was carried out from the perspective of the qualitative approach, using the narrative interview as methodological procedure. The narrative interview was planned based on the ideas presented by Jovchelovich; Bauer (2002) about preparation, initiation, central narrative, question phase and conclusion phase. Six elementary school teachers were interviewed, aged from 31 to 62 years old. The analysis of the narratives was done starting from the interpretative understanding proposed by Souza (2014). The results of the study show that the fact that teachers need to be absent from the classroom is not associated with their lack of commitment to their students’ education. The biggest reasons why they are absent from work were registered due to health ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre