Absenteeism & on Site Child Care
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABSENTEEISM AND ON - SITE EMPLOYER SPONSORED CHILDCARE
INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Acknowledgements
I hereby express my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the following persons for their respective contributions:
My supervisor, Dr Dirk Geldenhuys, for his continued support and guidance.
Mr Carol Hardijzer, for his guidance and ongoing encouragement.
Vanessa Hendricks and Priya Christopher, for their enduring patience with my ongoing requests and demands for data.
Angela Murphy, for her guidance and patience during the statistical phase of this research.
Moya Joubert, for painstakingly editing and proofreading my dissertation.
My family, for their ongoing encouragement and support.
Sean Ashton, for his never-ending patience, support and belief in me.
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Abstract
As the literature on work–family conflict grows and absenteeism increasingly comes into the spotlight, one cannot help but ask the question: “What is an acceptable absenteeism rate and how can an organisation control and manage absenteeism?” With current absenteeism rates as high as 12% and with an estimated R12 million lost per annum because of absenteeism, the idea of an on-site employer-sponsored childcare facility seems viable.
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between absenteeism and onsite employer- sponsored childcare. The following dimensions of absenteeism will be examined over a period of a year: absence frequency, absence intensity, attitudinal absence and medical absence. The results of two companies, one with a facility and one without, will then be compared in order to establish the relationship between absenteeism and an on-site facility.
To date, evidence remains mixed and the ongoing challenge of establishing real return on equity remains a major barrier to the support of on-site employer-sponsored childcare.
Key terms
Absenteeism, types of absenteeism, causes of absenteeism, model
INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Acknowledgements
I hereby express my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the following persons for their respective contributions:
My supervisor, Dr Dirk Geldenhuys, for his continued support and guidance.
Mr Carol Hardijzer, for his guidance and ongoing encouragement.
Vanessa Hendricks and Priya Christopher, for their enduring patience with my ongoing requests and demands for data.
Angela Murphy, for her guidance and patience during the statistical phase of this research.
Moya Joubert, for painstakingly editing and proofreading my dissertation.
My family, for their ongoing encouragement and support.
Sean Ashton, for his never-ending patience, support and belief in me.
i
Abstract
As the literature on work–family conflict grows and absenteeism increasingly comes into the spotlight, one cannot help but ask the question: “What is an acceptable absenteeism rate and how can an organisation control and manage absenteeism?” With current absenteeism rates as high as 12% and with an estimated R12 million lost per annum because of absenteeism, the idea of an on-site employer-sponsored childcare facility seems viable.
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between absenteeism and onsite employer- sponsored childcare. The following dimensions of absenteeism will be examined over a period of a year: absence frequency, absence intensity, attitudinal absence and medical absence. The results of two companies, one with a facility and one without, will then be compared in order to establish the relationship between absenteeism and an on-site facility.
To date, evidence remains mixed and the ongoing challenge of establishing real return on equity remains a major barrier to the support of on-site employer-sponsored childcare.
Key terms
Absenteeism, types of absenteeism, causes of absenteeism, model
References: absent. Moreover, the importance of satisfactory attendance and its benefits should be clearly communicated to all employees (Bydawell, 2000). 3 Although there has been growing enthusiasm for ESCC, an assertion that childcare improves worker productivity and lowers absenteeism rates have been mixed (Kossek, Dass & De Marr, 1994; Kossek & Nichol, 1992) Ivey et al. (2002) outline five central tenets of the cognitive behavioural paradigm: 6 Individuals operating from this worldview employ a systematic method of examining themselves and the environment and jointly engaging in interventions that alter their conditions (Ivey et al., 2002).