Unplanned absenteeism ++++ adds up.

Author/s:
Issue: Jan, 2003

According to CCH Incorporated and Harris Interactive, a worldwide market research and consulting firm, employee absenteeism now costs companies more than ever, with sick time being used more for personal and family needs than illness. The average per-employee cost of absenteeism climbed to an all-time high of $789 per year in 2002, surprisingly. 1 percent less than in 2001. This can cost up to $60,000 per year for small companies and up to $3.6 million for the largest employees. While personal illness accounted for 33 percent of no-shows, 67 percent of unscheduled absences were due to reasons other than illness, consisting of family issues (24 percent), personal needs (21 percent), stress (12 percent) and entitlement mentality (10 percent).

While 83 percent of the companies surveyed believe that unscheduled absences are likely to either stay the same or become worse in the next two years, several options have proven effective to discouraging occurrences. Alternative work arrangements and compressed work week both rank high as combatants to the problem as do paid leave banks, also known as paid time off, although fewer than one half of organizations have adopted this method. Overall, good old- fashioned job satisfaction plays the biggest role in lower absenteeism; those reporting very good/good morale had a 1.9 percent absence rate compared to 2.4 percent for those reporting fair/poor morale. Order the full report, $29.95, 800-449-9525.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Advanstar Communications, Inc.

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