At That Point
  • home
  • services
  • about us
  • our work
  • our thoughts

Curbing absenteeism with the right rewards

17/9/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
“The right balanced total reward programme can assist in reducing absenteeism,” says Nicol Mullins, Executive Committee Member at the South African Reward Association (SARA).

The number of employees taking days off work has risen so much over the last decade that Absence Management is now a standard HR function.

Companies can even buy purpose built software to help them track and contain rampant absenteeism.However, according to Mullins, it is a problem that needs to be solved, not controlled.

“When absenteeism is rife across an enterprise, it may be the tip of the iceberg, indicating a more general dissatisfaction among employees, which might be intrinsic or extrinsic in nature” he says.

Regardless of the cause of absenteeism, researchers of the topic across various industries agree on its detrimental effects to an organisation’s morale, productivity and profitability.

To name a few consequences, not only do employers not benefit from labour they’re paying for, but costs rise as present employees work overtime to catch up, quality is sacrificed, consultants are engaged for specialised tasks, or strategic opportunities are missed because key personnel are not at work or working.

A stressful environment
A 2009 study by researchers Halkos and Bousinakis concluded that absenteeism is related to workplace stress which results in low levels of job satisfaction.

In 2002, researchers de Boer, Bakker, Syroit and Schaufeli offered two theories for absenteeism. Withdrawal theory suggests that absentees are withdrawing from adverse working conditions while stress theory says employees develop stress symptoms because they are unable to cope with these conditions.

How rewards can help
The importance of a meaningful total reward programme in curbing absenteeism cannot be overstated.

“‘Meaningful’ means it must create value for the employees it targets,” say Mullins. That value can be financial, but where workplace stress is the culprit, rewards should be aimed at removing negative catalysts and promoting job satisfaction.

Two approaches suggested by Mullins are to develop clear opportunities for career progression and to foster a sense of ownership in the business.

“Employee-owned and family businesses experience much lower absenteeism simply because there’s a strong sense of belonging and growth potential amongst workers - a sense of ownership.” he says. “A company that can create this reality will experience a reduction in worker absence and improved productivity.”

Companies should also reward the behaviours they want to see. Recognising workers who have been present for a high number of consecutive days sends a clear message to their colleagues that this behaviour is desirable.

However, Mullins warns that any such initiatives can only be effective if they are part of a larger, carefully developed total reward programme, which is both monetary and non-monetary in nature.

Getting rewards right
Engineering the optimal total reward programme for a given corporate environment or culture is a complex task, and today there is a specialised profession that has evolved around the process.

“Companies who throw a few benefits together and expect employees to automatically respond are wasting their time,” warns Mullins.

Reward practitioners are trained in multiple disciplines, enabling them to develop sophisticated total reward packages that promote desirable employee behaviours while supporting corporate strategy.

Organisations wishing to minimize absenteeism can contact SARA for more information on how to engage a certified practitioner.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za 
For more information on SARA please visit:
Website: www.sara.co.za 
Twitter: @SA_reward
LinkedIn: South African Reward Association
Facebook: SARA – South African Reward Association
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Welcome to the South African Reward Association newsroom.

    Categories

    All
    2016 SARA Reward Awards
    2016 South African Reward Association Conference
    ABSA
    Chris Blair
    Covid-19
    Deon Smit
    Dr Mark Bussin
    Dr Ronel Nienaber
    Economic Growth
    Employee Empowerment
    Employee Engagement
    Employee Performance Management
    Executive Bonuses
    Executive Pay
    Executive Remuneration
    Female Employees
    Financial And Non Financial Rewards
    Financial And Non-financial Rewards
    Fixed Pay
    FNB
    Gender Inequality
    Gender Pay Gap
    Global Workforce
    Incentives
    International Mobility
    Jerry Botha
    Job Security
    Job Seekers
    Kevan Hawley
    Khokhela Consulting
    Kim Lombard
    King IV
    Laurence Grubb
    Lindiwe Sebesho
    Living Wage
    Marie Claire Mclachlan
    Marie-Claire Mclachlan
    Martin Hopkins
    Minimum Wage
    Morag Phillips
    MTN
    Nazlie Samodien
    Negotiating Salary
    Nicol Mullins
    Pay Discrepancies
    Pay Gap
    Peet Kruger
    PwC
    Remuneration Resolutions
    Reward Awards
    Reward Systems
    SARA
    SARA Conference 2015
    SARA Conference 2020
    Shareholder Votes
    Standard Bank
    Technology
    Termination Pay
    Total Reward Internship Programme
    Total Reward Package
    Total Rewards Model
    Total Reward Strategy
    UIF
    Variable Pay
    Wage Freeze
    Wage Negotiations
    Women In Business
    WorldatWork
    Zuma

    RSS Feed

CONTACT US

office [at] atthatpoint [dot] co [dot] za
© COPYRIGHT 2021
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • home
  • services
  • about us
  • our work
  • our thoughts