Managing Personal and Human Resources in Contemporary Organizations - Report Example

Managing Personal and human resources Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Assess the ways in which contemporary organizations can manage employee absence Introduction It is an obvious fact that the absence of the employees from the workplace has been subjected to increased attention in the recent years. This fact is supported by Spurgeon (2002, p. 2) who determined that employee absence has been a subject of increased debates in the recent years with diverse issues being subjected to discussions. These entail how to measure the absence rates, the causes as well as the nature of absence, the role of different organizational sections in managing absence as well as what comprises the absence levels which are acceptable in an organization. The detrimental impacts of employee absence have been evident in the UK where absence from work has been estimated to cost the UK economy many millions annually. According to the CBI 2006 Absence and Labour Turnover Survey, it was estimated that UK loses an estimated £13 billion per year. The major reasons given to the elevated attention to employee absence has been partly as a result of the concerns over the maximization of labour utilization in the highly competitive marketplaces and the reduction of costs and disruption of operations which emanate from employee absence. In addition, there has also been heightened emphasis on the ‘duty of care’ among the employers to their employees (Bevan et. al., 2004, p. 1). As a result, majority of the organizations in this region have been making extensive efforts and using various ways to manage employee absence. Against this backdrop, this paper will assess the ways in which contemporary organizations can manage employees’ absence. Nonetheless, it is imperative to gain a brief insight into the importance or the usefulness of discussing the phenomenon of managing the employees’ absence in diverse institutions around the globe. Importance or the usefulness of discussing the management of employee absence There are different reasons on to why it is important to discuss the phenomenon of employee absence among different organizations. Firstly, it is evident that the larger cost of employee absence in the UK economy which has been extensively reported to be in excess of £13.2 billion per year fortifies the fact that this topic is worth of further investigation (Robson, 2007, p. 1). Secondly, despite the findings which point to the fact that different organizations have in the recent past been employing more mechanisms to manage employee absence, it is apparent that more organizations continue to record increased employee absence. This is evidenced by the Annual Survey Report, 2010, p. 4) which determined that increased organizations in the UK reported elevated rates of employee absence which was placed at 82% in 2010 when compared with 70% in the preceding year. Thus, this makes it paramount to evaluate the different ways which the employers have been using to manage employee absence. This is key in identifying the loopholes in their mechanisms which has culminated in this ineffectiveness which makes this the analysis of this topic increasingly useful. Lastly, the aforementioned survey revealed extensive variations between different organizations in regard to employee absence based on the nature of their operations. This is epitomized whereby the public sector reported the highest average level of employee absence which stood at 9.6 days per employee per year. On the other hand, there were relatively high rates of employee absence in the non-profit sector which reported an average of 8.3 days per employee per year. In addition, the private sector reported the lowest rates of employee absence. This is whereby the organizations engaged in production and manufacturing reported an average of 6.9 days per employee per year while the services organizations in the private sector reported an average absence of 6.6 days per employee per year. Lastly, this report also revealed that the larger organizations had higher rates of employee absence when juxtaposed with the smaller organizations (Annual Survey Report, 2010, p. 4). All the above variations point to the fact that there is an elevated necessity to further explore this topic aimed at coming up with ways which are applicable across all organizations and be effective in managing employee absence. This is fundamental in harmonizing the methods used in these organizations geared towards achieving maximum effectiveness in managing employee absence. Ways in which contemporary organizations can manage employee absence There are several ways which have been put into utility by contemporary organizations in the management of employee absence. Some of these mechanisms are explored in the subsequent section. Increasing employees’ engagement Otter (2009, p. 5) determined that one of the biggest factor in the minimization of employee absence is for the leaders and managers in different organizations to run organizations which increase the engagement of the employees. This can be through fair and appropriate management of work, taking genuine concern in the well-being of the employees and engaging them in enhancing it, creation of a positive team culture as well as engaging the employees in various organizational programs. The engagement of the employees is imperative based on the fact that this will convince them that they are an integral part of the organization and that they undue absence will detrimentally affect the operations of the larger organization. As a result, the employees will be motivated to continuously report to work and take part in the daily organizational operations. This fact is founded on the backdrop that engaged employees are not only more productive but are also bound to exhibit minimal turnover over a given period of time. Nonetheless, majority of the organizations are often blind to this fact and tend to make the mistake of using ‘you are lucky to have this job’ approach as an absenteeism and retention strategy (Otter, 2009, p. 5). However, research has revealed that this strategy is bound to reduce the engagement and commitment of the employees in their daily tasks. As a result, they are bound to give superficial justifications for their absenteeism due to limited motivation and little engagement. In addition, recent research in the UK among other countries has pointed to the fact that there are more employees who are disengaged when compared to the engaged employees in contemporary organizations (Kular et. al., 2008, p. 1). Subsequently, organizations ought to institute ideal mechanisms to foster the engagement of the employees in running the organizations. This can be through different approaches, for instance, creating departmental competitions, allocating specific roles to individuals or teams and rewarding the best performing collectives or individuals. This is key in making the employees believe that they play and imperative role in the success of their various departments and thus exhibit increased engagement in the departmental operations. In addition, the allocation of specific roles to individuals is chief in elevating their sense of responsibility to the success or failure of this task. As a result, the employee is bound to feel increasingly engaged and be obliged to constantly report to work in order to fulfill this task. Therefore, increasing the level of employees’ engagement is a key way of managing the employee absence in the contemporary organizations. Back to work interviews According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2011, p. 33), one of the key problems confronting the employers in contemporary organizations is in regard to how to respond in a reasonable manner when an employee is absent from work as a result of stress or other health related issues. These impacts can emanate from diverse sources, for instance, over-management of the employee performance or disciplinary actions, stressful working conditions among other sources. As a result, back to work interviews are imperative in managing employee absence among modern institutions. This is whereby the employer is strategically niched to get an insight into the current health state of the employee which can result to future absence. In addition, the employer is able to assess whether the employee is capable of continuing with work under previous circumstances or whether a change is needed. Moreover, the employer is able to gain insight into the issues affecting the employee which is key in informing the formulation and implementation of support programs, for instance, counseling programs in case the absenteeism was caused by stress and depression. Lastly, the back to work interview give the employer and ample chance to inform the employer about the developments which were achieved during his/her absence as well as any possible trend dynamics which can influence his/her performance in the workplace. Thus, back to work interview can be perceived as playing an integral role, mostly in the management of future employee absence in various organizations. Consequently, diverse organizations ought to institute policies which foster back to work interviews after a prolonged absence of different employees. This is chief in the attainment of different outcomes which have been outlined in the preceding section which are principle in the management of employee absence. Institutionalization of ideal conflict management mechanisms Organizations have largely been acknowledged as sites of massive contentions and conflicts. These conflicts result in diverse impacts, best exemplified by absenteeism which has turned up in different social science research over the years. As a result, cognition of the fact that conflict of interests between groups as well as individuals in organizations is problematic to avoid by anyone who claims familiarity with these conflicts. These conflicts can be fueled by different factors, for instance, ongoing disagreement with the manager or workmates, continued harassment or bullying by workmates, consumers or clients or disputes between groups of workers among other factors. In all these causes of organizational conflicts, employee absence can be in form of sick leave or unexplained and unauthorized absence (Department of Business Innovation and Skills, 2013, p. 1). The existence of massive conflicts at organizational level and its escalation into absenteeism is revealed in the Survey Report (2008, p. 2) whereby almost one-third of the respondents in this survey reported that conflicts at workplaces had culminated in absence from work by one or more parties which were involved in this conflict.This reveals the enormous contribution of organizational conflicts in promoting employee absence among contemporary organizations. As a result, different institutions ought to institute better mechanism to primarily be engaged in objective problem solving. In addition, these organizations ought to commit increased investment in conflict management training which will endow the individuals and collectives mandated with this role in the organization with adequate knowledge and skills in conflict management. The above approach was supported by the Survey Report (2008, p. 3) whereby at least one-third of the respondents reported that training in conflict management had culminated in the decrease of the number of grievance and disciplinary cases. In total, 13% of the HR practitioners who informed this survey cited that trainings in conflict management had been integral in minimizing the levels of employee absence levels. On the other hand, 12% of these informants reported that they had seen a decrease of the employment tribunal claims while 10% reported a decrease of employee turnover. Thus, these findings cement the fact that training in conflict management can play an integral role in the management of employee absence in the contemporary organizations. This is integral in saving diverse costs which are attributed to continued absenteeism of employees from the organization as a result of increased conflicts. Promoting attendance organizational culture This is the last way of managing employee absence among contemporary organizations which will be explored in this analysis. Hayday (2010, p. 2) determined that there is a necessity for an organizational policy which exerts great emphasis not only in the prevention of ‘illegitimate absence’ but also sufficiently prioritizes ‘legitimate absence’ and assisting the latter individuals upon their return to work. This is underpinned by an organizational culture where there is cognition of the cost of employee absence in the organization as well as the appreciation of the means to address this trend. Nonetheless, it is imperative to stress that the promotion of an attendance organizational culture at the organizational level ought to emanate from the management and leadership of the organization. This is whereby the organizational leaders ought to set a good example of constant work attendance to the employees as well as efficient address to absenteeism issues among the employees. This will culminate in the attendance organizational culture being entrenched in the organization. Conclusion From the preceding analysis, it is evident that employee absence from the workplace has been subjected to increased attention in the recent years. The importance of discussing the issue of management of employee absence is based on the enormous costs at the national and organizational level associated with employee absence, extensive variations between different organizations in regard to employee absence based on the nature of their operations as well as inappropriateness of ways by different organizations to manage employee absence. Different ways of employee absence management among contemporary institutions have been analyzed. These include increasing employees’ engagement, back to work interviews, institutionalization of ideal conflict management mechanisms as well as promotion of attendance organizational culture. References Annual Survey Report, 2010, ‘Absence management’, retrieved 22nd February, 2013 < http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/5343_Absence-Management-survey-report-2010.pdf>. Bevan, S., et. al., 2004, How employers manage absence, Employment relations research series No.25, Department of Trade and Industry, London. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2011, Managing and supporting mental health at work: disclosure tools for managers, CIPD, London. Department of Business Innovation and Skills, 2013, ‘Employee absence due to conflict at work’, retrieved 22nd February, 2013 . Hayday, S., 2010, ‘Employee absence and attendance’, retrieved 22nd February, 2013 < http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pdflibrary/op10.pdf>. Kular, S., et. al., 2008, Employee Engagement: A Literature Review, Kingston Business School Working Paper Series No 19, London, Kingston University. Otter, T., 2009, ‘Managing Employee Absence: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, and Time Is Money’, Series ID Number: G00165198, Gartner, Inc., Surrey. Robson, F., 2007, ‘Absence in the public sector: Are managers managing?’, retrieved 22nd February, 2013 . Spurgeon, A., 2002, Managing Attendance at Work: An Evidence-Based Review, British Occupational Health Research Foundation, Hertfordshire. Survey Report, 2008, Leadership and the management of conflict at work, retrieved 22nd February, 2013 . Read More