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 (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 2001. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Mtech(Business Administration)--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2001 / The researcher identified an absenteeism problem at the Cape Technikon Library and sees the effect of it on a daily basis. It is a costly and disruptive problem and places unnecessary pressure on staff that are at work. From the outset, companies might not realise the cost of absenteeism until they actually measure it. Absenteeism of other staff members create various problems such as low morale, increased stress, break in team work, etc. between the staff that are at work. To reduce the absenteeism rate, certain measures and control systems should be put in place. Absenteeism can either be addressed by putting a reward system in place or making use of punishment contingencies, or using a combination of both. If staff members see that other staff members get away with excessive absenteeism, they will soon follow. Within the context of the Cape Technikon Library, a culture of absenteeism has been created and it is not easy to break that culture. This study considered possible reasons for the absenteeism as well as possible solutions. To improve productivity and cost-effectiveness, the Gross Absence Rate (GAR) should be less than 3% (Van der Merwe: 1988:25). According to Van der Merwe (1988:25) an absence rate of 10% is extremely serious and any absence rate of more than 5% should be regarded as an indicator of a situation needing further investigation. An absence rate of less than 3% can be regarded as satisfactory, although capable of furtherimprovement. On some days the absenteeism rate at the Cape Technikon Library is approximately 12%.

No summary available / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)

Norway has a high prevalence of sick leave compared to other Nordic countries and has been criticized for offering generous sick leave benefits. This qualitative study aims to explore experiences of graded sick leave and return to work in Norway. Six employees from the private sector were interviewed regarding their experiences of the Norwegian model for earlier follow-up of employees on sick leave. The collected data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results indicated several important aspects of the return to work process which were perceived as both obstacles and opportunities. The possibility of having time to recover as well as finding a balance of a manageable work load with stimulating assignments were seen as essential and communication was crucial to attain the latter.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur enhetschefer i kommunal äldreomsorg hanterar sjukskrivningar bland omsorgspersonal. I studien användes en kvalitativ metod och sammanlagt genomfördes fem intervjuer med yrkesverksamma enhetschefer inom kommunal äldreomsorg. Vi har inspirerats av kritisk teori som analysmetod. Den teoretiska referensramen i studien är handlingsutrymme, handlingsfrihet och klämsits. Studiens resultat visar att sjukskrivningar bland omsorgsarbetare enligt enhetscheferna är ett omfattande problem. Resultatet visar att enhetschefer själva är ett viktigt verktyg i hanteringen av sjukskrivningar. Samtliga enhetschefer är medvetna om den ram som styr deras handlingsutrymme i form av lagar, regler och organisatoriska förutsättningar, men resultatet visar att de hanterar sjukskrivningar på olika sätt. Hur man skall hantera sjukskrivningar är upp till varje enskild enhetschef att avgöra och det kan ibland vara svårt att parera de olika förväntningar som de har på sig själva och sitt uppdrag. Enhetscheferna beskriver bristande stödfunktioner som en orsak till att det blir svårt och menar att de tvingas utveckla egna strategier för att kompensera för dessa. Resultatet visar också att det finns bristande resurser, både i form av tid och av pengar för att kunna möta de juridiska skyldigheter som enhetscheferna har i sitt arbetsgivaransvar. / The purpose of this study was to examine how first line managers in municipal elderly care manage sick leave among care workers. The study uses a qualitative method and five interviews were performed with first line manager professionals in municipal elderly care. We have been inspired by critical theory when analyze the result. The theoretical framework is space of action, freedom of action and conflict of interest. The result of the study shows that according to first line managers sick leave among care workers is an extensive problem. The result shows that first line managers themselves are an important tool while managing sick leave. They are all aware of the framework that controls their space of action and the framework consists of laws, rules and organizational conditions. The result shows that first line managers manage sick leave in different ways. How to manage sick leave is up to each and every one of them and it can sometimes be difficult to parry the different expectations they have on themselves and on their mission. First line managers describe lack of support functions as a reason why it can be difficult and they say that they are forced to develop their own strategies to compensate for these. The result also shows that there is a lack of resources, in both time and money to meet the legal obligations that first line managers have by their employer's' responsibility.

<p>The background to the thesis is the high rate for sickness absence in Sweden since the end of the 1990s. In an international perspective, the Swedish sickness absence appears exceptionally high. This can appear paradoxical bearing in mind the high standard of living and the high average length of life in Sweden, and there is much to indicate that complex causal correlations are involved.</p><p>The overall aim of the thesis is to study and analyse the return to work or transition to disability pension, for persons on long-term sick leave from their own perspective. The focus of the thesis is the individual in a social context.</p><p>The theoretical frame of reference is within medical sociology and is about sickness concepts and models and on medicalisation. The concept of work capacity is also taken up based on the concepts of disability and impairment.</p><p>The empirical material consists of four studies. Two of these are qualitative interview studies with women. One of them (I) is about Greek women who have been granted Swedish disability pension. The aim of this study is to find explanations why such a large number of Greek women have become disability pensioners in Sweden. The analysis indicated some important factors: the doctors, the family and the social insurance system. The women had unclear psychosomatic complaints, which had been medicalised. The other qualitative study (IV) concerned women who after sick leave and rehabilitation succeeded in returning to work. It was seen to be strong and stubborn women who had to struggle to get back to working life. They had also been well taken care of in rehabilitation.</p><p>The other two studies (II and III) are quantitative, prospective cohort studies with persons on sick leave with unspecified back and neck complaints. One main aim of one study (III) was to investigate the importance of motivation for rehabilitation and return to work. Two specially designed forms were used. It was seen, among other things that the forecasts of the person on sick leave on return to work coincided quite well with a follow-up two years later. One important result was that those who had undergone rehabilitation measures had returned to work to a much lesser extent than those who had not.</p><p>Overall, the results showed the importance of listening to the individual and taking their own assessments of obstacles and possibilities in the rehabilitation process into consideration. The results in study III indicated that rehabilitation had not been sufficiently effective and in many cases did not lead to a return to work.</p>

The background to the thesis is the high rate for sickness absence in Sweden since the end of the 1990s. In an international perspective, the Swedish sickness absence appears exceptionally high. This can appear paradoxical bearing in mind the high standard of living and the high average length of life in Sweden, and there is much to indicate that complex causal correlations are involved. The overall aim of the thesis is to study and analyse the return to work or transition to disability pension, for persons on long-term sick leave from their own perspective. The focus of the thesis is the individual in a social context. The theoretical frame of reference is within medical sociology and is about sickness concepts and models and on medicalisation. The concept of work capacity is also taken up based on the concepts of disability and impairment. The empirical material consists of four studies. Two of these are qualitative interview studies with women. One of them (I) is about Greek women who have been granted Swedish disability pension. The aim of this study is to find explanations why such a large number of Greek women have become disability pensioners in Sweden. The analysis indicated some important factors: the doctors, the family and the social insurance system. The women had unclear psychosomatic complaints, which had been medicalised. The other qualitative study (IV) concerned women who after sick leave and rehabilitation succeeded in returning to work. It was seen to be strong and stubborn women who had to struggle to get back to working life. They had also been well taken care of in rehabilitation. The other two studies (II and III) are quantitative, prospective cohort studies with persons on sick leave with unspecified back and neck complaints. One main aim of one study (III) was to investigate the importance of motivation for rehabilitation and return to work. Two specially designed forms were used. It was seen, among other things that the forecasts of the person on sick leave on return to work coincided quite well with a follow-up two years later. One important result was that those who had undergone rehabilitation measures had returned to work to a much lesser extent than those who had not. Overall, the results showed the importance of listening to the individual and taking their own assessments of obstacles and possibilities in the rehabilitation process into consideration. The results in study III indicated that rehabilitation had not been sufficiently effective and in many cases did not lead to a return to work.

Aims: The starting point of this study was the experience of great problems with persons on long-term sick leave in the county of Västerbotten. In order to illuminate the situation we designed a study of the actors most involved who dealt with persons on long-term sick leave. These actors were the medical doctors; the employers: the social insurance officials; and members of the board of social insurance and persons reporting on the cases to the board. One aim was to describe and analyse the situation for persons on sick leave. Another aim was to describe and analyse the perception of the role the different actors played when dealing with persons on long-term sick leave. The third aim was to describe and analyse the different actors' views of each other, and of the co-operation around the persons on long-term sick leave. Method and material: Interviews with persons on sick leave, employers, social insurance officials and medical doctors. Questionnaires were sent to persons on sick leave, doctors and the members of the board of social insurance and those reporting on the cases. The interviews were audio- taped and transcribed word by word. Coding and analysis of collected data was done simultaneously by performing new interviews, using an adjusted form of grounded theory with the purpose of trying to find patterns and contexts. The aim was to describe the subjective experiences of how the actors look upon their situation and their way of coping with it. Results: The interviews with the employers showed great differences in attitudes and ways of treating employees, which also led to different models for dealing with work environment, sickness absence and rehabilitation. We divided the employers into five different "ideal types". Two of them could be described as "well-functioning" with regard to rehabilitation, and three of them as "less well-functioning". A high degree of flexibility characterises the successful employer, and he also takes good care of his personnel. The good employer also co-operates with other actors. The employers that are not well-functioning are not engaged in making adjustments, and have little confidence in their staff; the unions within their field are weak. Interviews with medical doctors revealed that they felt lonely, and that the demands were frustrating to them. They also had feelings of losing the locus of control. The doctors showed lack of knowledge of the labour market and the social insurance legislation, which made their work harder. They experienced that their lack of time made sickness periods longer. Among the results from the interviews with social insurance officials can be mentioned that they had good knowledge about laws, but sometimes it was difficult to use their knowledge and methods due to lack of flexibility. They experienced feelings of loneliness and had great difficulty in making decisions. Co-operation with partners often did not work out - the officials did not demand so much of their co-actors. The results of the questionnaire directed towards the members of the board of social insurance and those who reported on the cases did not show statistically significant differences between the three counties. The members of the board had almost the same proposals for decision as those who reported on the cases. There were no significant differences between men and women in decision-making. As a whole the members of the board seemed to be skilled in their knowledge of how to use the social insurance legislation. The results of the interviews with persons on sick leave showed that those persons had difficulties in asking for help and support. They felt such loyalty to their employers that they did not ask for adjustments of working places when needed. At the same time they were disappointed that the employers were not sufficiently involved in making it possible to come back to work again. More than half of the respondents had not received enough support from the employers, the medical doctors or the social insurance officials. Most of them felt frustrated, with little or no hope for the future. The results of the questionnaire to persons on long-term sick leave showed that women took a greater responsibility for their own rehabilitation, while the employers showed an earlier interest in sick male employees than in sick female employees. The employers were also keener to adjust the working places for men than for women. Despite those factors, women more often met their employers than men did, and they also had a more positive attitude to social insurance officials and doctors than men had. People with longer education took greater responsibility for their rehabilitation than those with shorter education. Compared to older people, younger persons were more optimistic about their future health and work, and also expressed that work was not so stressful. / digitalisering@umu

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse how people who return to the labour market after long-term sickness absenteeism and subsequent job loss differ in employability, work ability, health, educational level, age, and gender, compared to those who do not. PARTICIPANTS: The cohort consisted of 191 individuals, 20 men and 171 women, whose employment was terminated because they had not been able to return to their regular work after taking a long-term sick leave and rehabilitation measures. METHODS: This study is based on a postal questionnaire sent out to a cohort of previous employees in a Swedish municipality in 2008. RESULTS: At the time of the survey, 39% of the respondents had returned to the labour market and the remaining 61% had not. Return to the labour market after a long-term sick leave was positively associated with male gender, young age, and work ability, i.e. the ability to work with respect to health and work-related demands. Employability, educational level, and health were not significantly associated with a return to the labour market. CONCLUSIONS: In the discourse on employability, work ability is often neglected even though it is a central aspect of an individual's ability to obtain new employment.