* CareerBuilder's "Out of the Office" report
How much does absenteeism affects your department? According to a recent survey from job site CareerBuilder, 32% of workers admitted to calling in sick when they felt well at least once in the last year. And 10% did so three times or more.
CareerBuilder’s “Out of the Office” report is based on responses from 1,650 workers and 1,150 hiring managers. The study found the most popular motivator for missing work was the need to relax, as chosen by 48% of workers. About a quarter wanted to catch up on sleep, while 20% needed the time to complete personal errands. Other popular reasons included doctor’s appointments (17%), plans with family and friends (16%) and housework (16%).
Women were more likely to take a sick day when they weren’t ill, as shown by the 37% of women who called in sick with bogus excuses compared to 26% of women. However, male bosses were likely to be less forgiving for unexcused sick days. A full 35% of men have fired an employee for calling in sick without a legitimate reason, as compared to 15% of women. The overall average for both sexes combined showed that 27% of managers have taken such action.
Says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com, “Forty-five percent of hiring managers have caught an employee calling in sick with a fake excuse. This begs two questions: Do you have the right employees working for your organization and do you have the right employee practices in place for your staff?”
Some experts have advised cutting down on excessive absences by promoting stress management, offering flexible work schedules and telecommuting, and encouraging the use of employee assistance programs among your staff.
