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This study assesses risk factors for sickness absence in the British civil service. As one component of a large study of psychosocial factors and health, 10,314 civil servants between the age of 35 and 55 completed questionnaires about their work environment, social circumstances outside work, health and health-related behaviours. To obtain a more objective measure of the work environment, personnel managers provided external assessments of participants' jobs. The baseline variables were related to rates of short spells (7 days or less) and long spells (more than 7 days) of sickness absence for 85% of participants, over a mean period of 20 months (6-26 months). There were striking grade differences in sickness absence, with a stepwise increase in rates of both short and long spells from top administrators to clerical and office support staff. Other identified risk factors explained only a third of these grade differences in sickness absence. Further analyses were adjusted for age and grade. Self-reported health was strongly related to rates of long spells and, to a lesser extent, short spells. Adequacy of support and difficulty paying bills were the two factors outside work which related to rates of both short and long spells. Job satisfaction was the only measure of the work environment which related to rates of both short and long spells. Other aspects of the work environment which were associated with increased rates of short spells were low variety and skill use and low support at work for both sexes, and low control, slow work pace and few conflicting demands for men. Self-reports and external assessments of the work environment related to sickness absence in a similar way, suggesting that the work environment itself was important. Factors which did not relate to either short or long spells of sickness absence were marital status, dependent children, the frequency of social contacts and physical activity. Women had higher rates of sickness absence than men and Asians had higher rates than Caucasians. This study identified a number of risk factors for sickness absence and differences in these risk factors for short and long spells of sickness absence. The grade, sex and ethnic differences in sickness absence remained largely unexplained. Group attitudes towards sickness absence may be important. Methodological issues related to the assessment of psychosocial factors are discussed.

This study focusses on the examination of the recorded absences of compulsory age students. The main purpose was to identify emergent patterns of school non-attendance, critical periods of absences and key factors within and beyond the school that might contribute to school non-attendance and the impact such non-attendance has on student achievement and perceptions of schooling.A review of literature on school non-attendance was undertaken and presented to highlight the number of factors that are often linked with non-attendance. As a result of the literature review a comprehensive list of factors for further investigation was distilled and a conceptual framework was developed. It was this conceptual framework, together with the research questions, that guided the research design and the subsequent collection and analysis of data.The research was undertaken in Perth, Western Australia utilising one State Government secondary school and five of its contributory (or feeder) primary schools. The research constituted a retrospective study spanning seven years (1989 to 1995 inclusive) incorporating the complete attendance records of 61 students.The first phase of the study involved the establishment of an empirical database developed from records compiled by the five feeder schools and the secondary school under study. Data derived from the schools were analysed to establish the patterns of non-attendance and trends.The second phase involved a series of case studies in which student perceptions on school non-attendance were investigated alongside the student's characteristics and attendance patterns in order to provide greater insight into key factors contributing to school non-attendance.The case studies not only provided greater insight into key factors contributing to school non-attendance but also the impact non-attendance had on the educational outcomes of the deemed ++ / 'at risk' students.Finally, the thesis provides a number of conclusions and action statements to all key stakeholders including the schools at the centre of this research, policy makers within the State Government Education Department, parents, and personnel from other schools within Western Australia, for future action and continuing research. There is a collective responsibility to ensure all students maximise their learning outcomes through the educational programs provided in the schooling system.The study also has the potential to provide a framework at both the national and international level as the outcomes of this research have potential significance for a number of interested organisations involved in providing educational and other programs for 'at risk' students.

Thesis--New York University. / Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

Thesis--New York University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Absenteeism is a widely observed phenomenon that has received a great deal of attention from academics who argue that it is an excellent proxy for individuals' attitude to work and commitment to their jobs. Unfortunately, very little of this work has been done by economists. The little economics that has been done has tended to view absenteeism as a measure of the supply of effort. Given the paucity of economic analysis on absenteeism, the psychology, sociology and management literature is reviewed to examine the extent to which their approach and that of an economist have common ground. Upon careful reading, it becomes evident these disciplines offer similar perspectives. Probably the most researched area of absenteeism is the relationship between absence and turnover. Although there is much contention as to what the relationship between these two phenomena should be, most researchers view this as a means to test the hypothesis of withdrawal. This thesis examines the problem somewhat differently and suggests that the approach of much of the empirical work is misguided. An alternative methodology to examine these phenomena is suggested and tested using a very large and detailed database. The results suggest there is a positive correlation between absence and turnover, although the relationship is more complex than described in the literature. One area where economists have made a great deal of theoretical progress is in the examination of why absence might vary across firms. The key insight is that production technology may affect the shadow cost of absence and if the costs of absence differ across firms, then there will be different levels of motivation to reduce it. It is argued that not only will the shadow cost of absence vary across firms, it will also vary over time and a theoretical model is developed to demonstrate this. There is a presumption in the literature that absenteeism is inversely related with the business cycle. However, the empirical work on the subject only models absence as a supply side phenomenon. This introduces a significant identification problem. At the very time when individuals are least likely to go absent, firms' demand for reliable labour will be at its lowest. The empirical work in the chapter models absence from both the supply and the demand side and the findings confirm that both play a significant role in determining absence. The finding that firms' demand for reliable labour may vary through the business cycle is novel and receives further investigation. The data is dissaggregated to determine the robustness of the relationship between demand side factors and the business cycle. At broad levels of disaggregation, the results remain quite strong, although there does appear to be a difference between unionised and nonunionised workers. At finer levels of dissaggregation the results are not as conclusive. This is attributed to the relatively small samples used to derive the individual absence series and the resulting increased volatility that emerges due increased variability from the use of small samples.

Orientadores: Karine Laura Cortellazzi, Luciane Miranda Guerra / Dissertação (mestrado profissional) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T21:26:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Goncalves_ClaudiaAngela_M.pdf: 1140946 bytes, checksum: 2caf6d25616d20166cf686036700209a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar os motivos que levaram os usuários a faltar às consultas odontológicas em Unidades de Saúde da Família (USFs) de Piracicaba/SP e implementar estratégias, por meio da pesquisa-ação, para redução das faltas. Trata-se de um estudo de pesquisa-ação, realizado em 12 USFs, no período de 01 de janeiro a 31 de dezembro de 2010. A amostra foi composta por 385 usuários destas Unidades, entrevistados por telefone sobre os motivos das faltas às consultas, além de 12 cirurgiões-dentistas e 12 enfermeiras, os quais participaram de uma pesquisa-ação, que consistiu de 2 oficinas: oficina inicial para problematização dos motivos elencados pelos entrevistados e elaboração de estratégias pelos dentistas e enfermeiros; e segunda oficina, após 4 meses, para avaliação das estratégias implantadas. Observou-se que o maior motivo de faltas às consultas (28,05%) foi à coincidência do horário de funcionamento das unidades com o horário de trabalho dos usuários. A falta de oferta de procedimentos odontológicos de maior complexidade na rede e a mudança de bairro ou cidade também foram motivos prevalentes (15,58%) de faltas às consultas. Dentre as estratégias elaboradas pelos profissionais ressalta-se a realização de palestras sobre a importância da saúde bucal e do tratamento odontológico (26,48%), educação continuada em saúde bucal nas reuniões de equipe, capacitação dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACSs), participação em grupos terapêuticos da Unidade e parcerias entre Equipe de Saúde Bucal (ESB) e equipamentos sociais da comunidade. A adoção de prontuário único pelas equipes foi à estratégia mais desafiadora encontrada pelos profissionais e a inexistência de Comissão Local de Saúde na área adscrita de algumas Unidades foi apontada como uma grande dificuldade. Concluiu-se que as estratégias implementadas nas USFs após as oficinas de pesquisa-ação levaram à diminuição das faltas às consultas odontológicas em 66,6% das Unidades e que o caráter motivador das oficinas de pesquisa-ação possibilitou a reflexão crítica da realidade pelos participantes para o redirecionamento da prática em saúde / Abstract: This study is aimed to analyze the reasons why users missed their dental appointments on Family Health Units (USFs) in Piracicaba/SP and implement strategies through an action-research to reduce absences. This is an action-research study, conducted in 12 USFs from January, 1 to December, 31 of 2010. The sample was composed by 385 users of these health units who were interviewed over the phone and asked about the reasons for missing dental appointments, beyond 12 dentists and 12 nurses who participated on an action-research which consisted of 2 workshops. The first one was conducted to question the professionals about the reasons listed by the users for missing dental appointments and after that, create strategies to try to reduce absences. The second workshop conducted 4 months later evaluated the strategies implemented. It was observed that the biggest reason for missing dental appointments (28,05%) was the fact that the health unit business hours coincided with the users working hours. The shortage of more complex dental procedures in the public service of the city and changing neighborhoods or city were also prevalent reasons (15,58%) for missing appointments. Among the strategies developed by the professionals are the development of lectures talking about how important the oral health and the dental treatment are (26,48%), continuing education about oral health in team meetings, Community Health Workers (ACSs) training, participation in therapeutic groups in the Unit and partnerships between the Oral Health Team (ESB) and community social facilities. The adoption of single medical records for each patient was the most challenging strategy found and also the lack of a Local Health Care Committee in the enrolled area of some units has been identified as a huge difficulty. It was concluded that strategies implemented in USFs after the workshops of action research led to the reduction of missed appointments in 66,6% of Units and that the motivating character of the workshops related to the action-research enabled a critical reflection on the reality by the participants to redirect health practices / Mestrado / Odontologia em Saude Coletiva / Mestra em Odontologia em Saúde Coletiva

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Absenteeism is a serious problem globally, and it entails a high cost for organizations. Shortage of nurses is a world-wide concern and absenteeism worsens the existing shortage in hospitals. In order for hospitals to run smoothly and render quality nursing care, regular attendance is required. The South African health institutions are faced with challenges of poor working conditions, low pay, as well as physical exhaustion from the workload. These challenges are seen as contributing to nurse absenteeism. The overall aim of this study was to describe factors that contribute towards absenteeism among nurses in an acute psychiatric hospital in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The study was carried out in an acute psychiatric hospital in Cape Town. Only permanently employed nursing staff at Valkenberg Hospital and Community service nurses were considered for the study. This study was quantitative in nature and it used the descriptive survey design. A self-administered questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The sample size of this study consisted of 135 (67.5%) nurses. It was drawn from a hospital population of 200 nursing staff. A number of factors emerged as significantly contributing to nurse absenteeism. The results show that 69% of participants agree that they were absent as they are dissatisfied with pension funds, medical aid contributions and the criteria for issuing incentive bonuses. Moreover the same percentage of participants, 69% strongly felt that the amount of work was overwhelming due to the fact that the staff patient ratio is too high. About 51% of participants were not satisfied with their progression in their career of nursing. About 68% of participants were not satisfied with the sufficiency of equipment and 51 % were unhappy with working conditions. The results also show a significant rate of absence of female nurses and older nurses. Absenteeism has become a major challenge that cuts across many organisations and national borders. It is a global phenomenon. The study, in hint sight, recommends that the physical working conditions of the institution need to be revamped to accommodate employees’ basic needs. It further recommended that staff patient ratio be revised, as it places tremendous pressure on nurses in terms of excessive workload. A facility like pre-school also needs to be provided as the female nurses appear to be more absent from work due to their multi-task roles.