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Absenteeism Survey Issue - HR Ideas & Trends, 2007 Issue

CCH 2007 Unscheduled Absence Survey

CCH Survey Finds Most Employees Call in “Sick” for Reasons Other Than Illness

Poor Morale Adds Up to Even More No-Shows

Tips for Effective Absence Management

Presenteeism Also Plagues Employers

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., October 10, 2007) – Two-thirds of U.S. workers who call in sick at the last minute do so for reasons other than physical illness, according to the findings of the 17 th annual CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey. CCH is a leading provider of human resources and employment law information and services and part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business (hr.cch.com).

The 2007 CCH Survey found that while 34 percent of people call in sick to work at the last minute due to “personal illness,” 66 percent are taking time off to deal with personal or family issues.

“Most people today are juggling the demands of busy personal and professional lives, and are trying to do their very best in both places,” said CCH Employment Law Analyst Pamela Wolf, JD. “Organizations need to stop the tug of war with people for their time, and become a partner to employees to help them, and the business overall, be more successful.”

Employers, however, have failed to make significant headway against the costly absenteeism problem that takes billions of dollars off the bottom line for U.S. businesses. The nation’s largest employers estimate that unscheduled absenteeism costs their businesses more than $760,000 per year in direct payroll costs, and even more when lower productivity, lost revenue and the effects of poor morale are considered.

According to the 2007 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey, conducted for CCH by Harris Interactive®, the absenteeism rate was 2.3 percent in 2007, down slightly from 2.5 percent last year.

The CCH Survey also found that for many employers, it’s no surprise when employees are likely to be no-shows. More than two-thirds (68 percent) report finding a discernable pattern in unscheduled absences, with 37 percent of organizations reporting the most noticeable pattern is people calling in sick on Mondays and Fridays, followed by 17 percent recognizing the most noticeable pattern occurring around holidays such as Christmas or the Fourth of July and 13 percent reporting their most noticeable pattern of unplanned absences occurs during flu and hay fever seasons.

The CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey, conducted by CCH for the past 17 years, is the definitive survey on absenteeism in the workplace, measuring the rate, cost and reasons associated with unscheduled absence in the U.S.

What Keeps People Off the Job

The survey found that Personal Illness accounts for only 34 percent of unscheduled absences, while 66 percent of absences are due to other reasons, including Family Issues (22 percent), Personal Needs (18 percent), Entitlement Mentality (13 percent) and Stress (13 percent).

The challenge for both employees and employers is that, for many people, demands on the home front have changed at the same time demands of the workplace have increased.

“Many employees today are asked to give 110 percent on the job – to do more with fewer staff, work long hours and handle work-related issues after hours from home,” said Wolf. “But these workers may also be part of dual-earning families, or they may be single parents or caregivers for aging parents. They are willing to go the ‘extra mile’ for the company, but they are also taking back the time when they need it to care for themselves and their families,” said Wolf.

The cost of this tacit give-and-take arrangement is too high to go unchecked, according to CCH.

“Unscheduled absenteeism is a problem that no organization can afford to ignore – either from a cost or productivity standpoint. With the appropriate programs in place, businesses can significantly reduce the number of last minute no-shows, improve the work environment for all employees and realize substantial savings,” said Wolf.

Related Products The following products have a high degree of relevance to customers of the above product. U.S. Master™ Wage-Hour Guide, 2007 Edition HRAnswersNow®

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