Absence management and presenteeism: the pressures on employees to attend work and the impact of attendance on performance

Absenteeism is an issue that has grown in importance over the past few years; however, little has been done to explore the impact of presenteeism on individual and organisational performance and well-being. This article is based on interviews collected in nine case study organisations in the UK. Two sector organisations (one private and one public) were studied to examine absence management and a conceptual model of presenteeism, with further illustration provided using data from the other seven case studies. This enabled a pattern of presenteeism to emerge, along with the contextual and individual factors which impact on it. In addition to previous research, we found that presenteeism is a complex ‘problem’ and that it is not a single one-dimensional construct, but is continually being shaped by individual and organisational factors. In addition, we found that performance and well-being are more closely related to the organisational reaction to presenteeism and absenteeism, rather than the act itself.     

Unintended responses to performance management in dutch hospital care: Bringing together the managerial and professional perspectives

As part of a major health care reform starting in 2005, the Netherlands introduced a Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) system of hospital care reimbursement and performance measurement. The DRG system was applied to all hospital care, meaning that it affected the overwhelming majority of Dutch specialist medical professionals. To better understand the consequences of this new system, and the responses of medical professionals to its implementation, we conducted and analysed an original set of sixty-six semi-structured interviews focused on medical specialists’ perception and utilization of the system. Our findings indicate that these professionals’ behaviours can seldom be ascribed to financial motives alone. Many responses of medical professionals to the new system were attributed to value-based motivations, related to upholding professional ethos and accommodating the dynamics of the professional process. Even responses that might be characterized at first as financially driven could not be entirely understood as perverse effects of the performance management system, as they too usually had an ancillary aim of safeguarding the professional tenets of the medical establishment.     

关于深圳和香港共建国际大都市的问题

深圳的命运与香港紧密相联.香港回归,深港共建国际大都市的条件逐步成熟.深港一都两制是挑战也更是机遇,可以兼容两种制度的优势.深港两地的规划建设要用同城化观念指导,互把对方视作大都市的一部分.同城化涉及两地各行各业、各个阶层,贯穿两地发展的全过程.     

Workplace bullying and absenteeism: The mediating roles of poor health and work engagement

Workplace bullying is a major problem that affects the well‐being and productivity of employees. Some previous studies have found that workplace bullying is associated with absenteeism, which is a major contributor to lost workplace productivity. However, a comprehensive understanding of how different workplace bullying experiences are associated with absenteeism is currently lacking. In particular no previous studies have examined potential mediators of these relationships. The present article aimed to provide new insights into the relationship between workplace bullying and absenteeism. In a 12‐month prospective study of 500 Australian employees, we identified 5 distinct subtypes of workplace bullying experiences using a person‐centred approach. These bullying subtypes were found to be associated with absenteeism via health impairment and lower work engagement. The findings can be used to inform HR strategies to prevent and manage workplace bullying.     

Do I have to go shopping again? A theory of choice with movement costs

In this model, the standard theory of the one-person household is extended into space and time. The theory is extended into space by imposition of a real trip cost on the act of purchase, separate from the money price of commodities. It is extended into time by imposition of a real cost of storage (represented by “deterioration”) on the stocks of goods held in the household between shopping trips. The necessity for storage permits the theory to include an endogenous choice of capacity to store as well as choices among consumption, leisure, and shopping trip frequency. By use of duality theory, the comparative static effects of price, wage, and trip costs are examined. Production and transformation within the household are integrated into the model and shown to be covered by the dual approach.     

Exit-voice and employee absenteeism: A critique of the industrial relations literature

Industrial relations research that has examined the effects of collective voice on employee absenteeism through traditional exit-voice analyses suffers from a number of important theoretical and empirical limitations. The research is limited theoretically in that the framework used cannot discretely classify absenteeism as a form of either exit or voice. This inability reflects a larger problem with the exit-voice framework’s lack of adequate attention to the conditions under which collective voice mechanisms fail and the consequences of such failure for the behavior of industrial relations actors. Exit-voice studies of absenteeism have important methodological problems, particularly in the way absenteeism and voice criteria have been operationalized. These defects in the literature can be addressed through the integration of behavioral theory and research on such topics as absenteeism, exit, voice, loyalty and neglect, and the literature on organizational justice.     

Confronting the issue of substance abuse in the workplace: When organized labor and management work together

The focus of this report is to describe the efforts of management (Midwest Coca-Cola) and organized labor (Local 792, International Brotherhood of Teamsters) in attempting to confront the issue of substance abuse (drugs and alcohol) by employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The conclusion is reached that the experience at Midwest Coca-Cola's bottling facility is an excellent example of management and organized labor recognizing a common threat, arguing to deal with the threat, and attempting through joint action to confront the menace of substance abuse in the workplace.     

王雪红:把“大趴”开到欧洲去

巴塞罗那之城见证了王雪红直闯欧洲的艰辛,现正准备慷慨以报,只为真正的庆功宴晚十点,有伊比利亚半岛明珠之称的巴塞罗那似乎刚刚苏醒,在璀璨的各色霓虹灯光里焕发出迷人的活力。不消说,这个西班牙第二大都市气候宜人,风光旖旎。古迹遍布街巷,充满文化     

Putting employee involvement in context: a cross-level model examining job satisfaction and absenteeism in high-involvement work systems

The current study examines how high-involvement work systems (HIWS) influence employee responses to involvement initiatives. While existing research has linked HIWS to individual attitudes, we predict that an organization's HIWS moderate the relationship between employee involvement and job satisfaction and absenteeism. Using multilevel data (8454 employees from 1429 workplaces), we found that employee involvement and HIWS are positively related to employee job satisfaction. Additionally, the results support a cross-level interaction: at high levels of HIWS, employee involvement is negatively related to absenteeism, whereas at low levels of HIWS, the negative relationship is weaker. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

A response to LDR 2 LDR: Theory and practice working together

An act of leadership is always an act of practical theory. We lead because we hold visions of the world as it ought to be, because of the not yet, because of the potential that we see in ideas and people. Yet, there still exists a perceived binary between leadership theory (in the strong sense) and leadership practice, a binary that divides organizations, classrooms, and the differing bodies of leadership literature. In this Symposium, Duncan Waite and his colleagues discuss the barriers they have faced in bringing theory to the educational leadership classroom, as well as the promise they feel theory holds for more productive, equitable, and humane schooling organizations.     

Drivers of context-specific ICT use across work and nonwork domains: A boundary theory perspective

Most theories predicting technology use were conceived when information and communication technology (ICT) devices were less portable, had less functionality, and individuals experienced less permeability between work and nonwork domains. Thus, while individuals today widely use ICT for both professional and personal needs, there is limited knowledge about the validity of traditional models predicting ICT use within and across work and nonwork domains. Using a model based on boundary theory, border theory, and human agency perspective, this study empirically examines the predictors of ICT use across four contexts, namely work use on work and nonwork days, and nonwork use on work and nonwork days. The results, based on data collected from managers and professionals from different Canadian industries, suggest that different drivers may be affecting the four contexts of ICT use. While perceived usefulness of ICT is a significant predictor for both within-domain and across-domain ICT use, there are specific work and individual characteristics that drive across-domain ICT use. Using theories from work/nonwork literature, this paper presents a renewed view to predict context-specific ICT use beyond the traditional models.     

Research note: the relationship between industrial accidents and absenteeism

In this research note, Phil Beaumont takes another look at the issue of the relationship between accidents and absenteeism and reports the findings of a study undertaken in four depots of a large road transport company in Scotland.     

Review of no-fault absenteeism cases taken to arbitration, 1980–1989: A rights and responsibilities analysis

No-fault absenteeism control programs represent an emerging counterpoint to traditional misconduct-based approaches. By altering the policies governing absence in the work place, the rights and responsibilities of both the employee and employer may be modified. This article examines the arbitral standards applied in the disposition of grievances arising under no-fault absenteeism plans. Arbitration cases from 1980 to 1989 are analyzed; a taxonomic structure for reviewing arbitrator rulings on the unilateral imposition of no-fault programs, as well as discipline and discharge arising under no-fault policies, is developed. While advocates of no-fault plans have asserted that arbitrators will embrace these plans, the results of this analysis indicate that arbitrators will infuse standard elements of reasonableness and just cause into no-fault policy. Trends in arbitral standards in absence cases, policy-making strategies for managements and unions, as well as implications for the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers are outlined.     

The importance of input control to work performance under the agency theory framework

In the agency theory literature, output and behavioral controls have been quite thoroughly explored. However, input control (IC) that emphasizes personnel selection and staffing has only been discussed theoretically. Literature outside the agency theory, nonetheless, corroborates IC when competitions increase. With an empirical approach to strategic human resource management, this study explored the relationships between controls and work performance under the influences of two agency factors: principal–agent relationship and task programmability. Results show that controls are generally associated with work performance but more important are their moderating effects with the two contingent agency factors. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analyses reveal that IC is a vital factor for work performance. These findings suggest that IC deserves more attention under the conditions of increased competition.     

Work hour congruence: the effect on job satisfaction and absenteeism

This study examines the effect of work hour congruence on employee job satisfaction and absenteeism using a large, longitudinal sample from the Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey (WES). An employee is said to have work hour congruence when they actually work the number of hours that they desire. Results indicate a difference between employees who desire more hours and those who desire fewer hours: employee desire for and receipt of more hours was related to positive changes in job satisfaction, while employee desire for and receipt of fewer hours was related to reduced absenteeism. In addition, the results suggest that employees respond to employers who at least try to meet their needs, those who desired more hours and received some, but not all of these additional hours showed a positive increase in job satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by using of a precise measure of work hour preference and change, differentiating employees who desire fewer hours from those who desire more and examining both full and partial work hour congruence.     

Disruption,dissolution and reconstruction: A dialectical view on inter-organizational relationship development

This paper contributes to research on inter-organizational relationship dynamics by applying a dialectical approach. We analyze a situation where the relationship parties have divergent understandings of business exchange, and use a longitudinal, in-depth single case study method to investigate their interaction process. The case study focuses on the relationship between a customer and a supplier in the ferrochrome industry, using the acquisition of the supplier as the trigger of the relationship change process. The paper contributes to studies on relationship dynamics by showing how dynamics of inter-organizational relationships may result from struggles when parties’ interests and goals do not align with existing relationship arrangements. In particular, we focus on the process of (re)construction of the relationship and its linkage to the structural properties of the relationship.     

Micro-interaction dynamics in group decision making: Face games, interaction order and boundary work

Drawing on Goffman's face theory, this paper documents and interprets the micro interaction dynamics underlying group decision making within a consultancy task force. Our analysis suggests that decision making is an instance of strategic face-to-face behavior where individuals seek to influence each other and reach decisions by means of face-work and self-presentation tactics. Moreover, face-to-face behavior generates an ‘interaction order’ that frames the decision making situation and constrains further interactions among decision makers. We discuss the implications that can be drawn from the observed case by relating our findings to the emergent stream of studies on micro-decision making.     

Bringing Networks In: A model of organizational socialization in the public sector

Abstract

Integrating new employees so that they perform well, fit in well and are committed to the agency is a salient concern for public managers. Organizational socialization is the process by which new employees learn the knowledge, skills and values required to become organizational members. This article develops a model of organizational socialization grounded in newcomer social networks and set within a context of public service identity. Social network theory and methods offer a means for examining and interpreting patterns of interactions between newcomers and organizational members. This article concludes with propositions for future studies of organizational socialization and social networks.