Managing employee absence for a competitive edge - Andrzej Huczynski

Every year British industry loses millions of pounds because of employee absence. This book recommends a "back-to-basics" approach in managing the problem by arguing and illustrating that managers can do much to enhance their company's performance, to reduce costs and to improve morale by addressing the problem seriously.;It covers the background of the problem of absenteeism, the causes of and possible solutions to the problem and reviews the available research which has been carried out in the field. To supplement the findings of surveys and reports the authors conducted a series of interviews with line and personnel managers on the subject of absence causes and controls, in order to clarify research carried out by other investigators.;Since each company is different and the causes of absence are very varied, the authors offer a step-by-step guide which can help managers to define and isolate their company's absence problem and lead them to select the solution likely to be the most effective for their organization. They focus particularly on understanding and controlling absence.;The final section applies the authors' seven-step approach to developing a programme of absence control for an actual company. Each of the first three sections concludes with management review questions, which seek to relate the material presented to the reader's own experiences, so acting as a bridge between theory and practical solutions.;The book is written primarily to help personnel and line management to understand and control employee absence. It should also be useful to consultants, both in-company consultants and those who may be called in to help and should be a useful a starting point for those carrying out research.