In our country, 263.000 people leave to go to work every day despite not being low. As reflected in a study of Randstaad developed with data from the last quarter of 2018. This represents a problem that affects the productivity of the company. In particular, the eighth edition of the report by Adecco on absenteeism was the cost of absenteeism in 85.140 million euros.
But, according to experts, this is not the only damage that it causes. "In addition to the economic cost, the absence of the worker in his job involves the non-implementation or reallocation of its tasks, which can lead to an overload for other employees, or a decrease of the quality of the work", explains the professor of the Economics and Business of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Mihaela Enache Zegheru.
But, what are the causes of high absenteeism? The professor of the UOC, Mar Sabadell, points out that over the last few decades have produced many changes in the work environment have intensified the phenomenon of absenteeism. "As recently stated by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the changes in work practices, changes in technology, as well as the demographic changes and the environment are generating new concerns about the safety and health at work.
Also, in a generic manner, Mihaela Enache points out that the causes of absenteeism is not justified can be placed around different variables related to a low flexibility, which prevents the reconciliation of work and family life, lack of motivation, or low job satisfaction, little integration and adaptation of the employee to the job and low commitment affective with the organization. It also influences a climate in the workplace or hostile work environment is not suitable to decrease the work motivation to the point of not finding solutions, and prefer to be absent from a place where the worker affected your emotional well-being. Other factors are work stress, which arises as a consequence of combining high psychological demands that exceed the control over the work, and the so-called burnout or burnout, which is conceptualized as a response to work stress chronic that leads to feeling emotionally exhausted and develop attitudes of depersonalization or negative feelings toward the people with whom you work.
But, without doubt, the work overload may be another factor that makes the Spanish miss work without being low. Although the lack of clarity of the functions of the job and the lack of control or autonomy in your own work, that lead to burnout are other reasons that encourage workers to be absent from your job.
How to combat absenteeismAnd to this, companies have to cope. According to Sea Sabadell, various studies relate to a positive perception of the organizational climate with a lower absenteeism . And to achieve that positive perception diverse measures are required. "The increase of the demands of a psychological nature that is experienced in the world of work in the present, linked to hyperconnectivity, the overlap of tasks, variability of work, the rhythms demanding...requires a greater allocation of resources for the care and prevention of psychosocial risks. We refer to all those aspects of design, organization and direction of the work and of its social environment, which may cause damage to psychic, social or physical health of the people," he explains.
Among the measures to tackle absenteeism, Enache recommends that companies facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life by allowing the time flexibility or promoting telework. To encourage participation in the decision-making process, to recognize the achievements of the worker or foster commitment affective with the company are other measures that help the employee does not miss work without being low.
Date Of Update: 13 September 2019, 14:00
