1.

1 INTRODUCTION Absenteeism is a serious workplace problem and an expensive occurrence for both employers and employees seemingly unpredictable in nature. A satisfactory level of attendance by employees at work is necessary to allow the achievement of objectives and targets by a department. Employee Absenteeism is the absence of an employee from work. It is a major problem faced by almost all employers of today. Employees are absent from work and thus the work suffers. Absenteeism of employees from work leads to back logs, piling of work and thus work delay. Absenteeism Meaning: Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation. Traditionally, absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an implicit contract between employee and employer; it was seen as a management problem, and framed in economic or quasieconomic terms. More recent scholarship seeks to understand absenteeism as an indicator of psychological, medical, or social adjustment to work. Definition: Absenteeism occurs when employees are not present at work when they are scheduled to be there. It can be divided into voluntary or involuntary absenteeism. Involuntary absence is viewed to be beyond the employees immediate control; legitimate reasons like personal illness, accidents or family emergencies. Voluntary absence is under the direct control of the employee which can often be traced back to other factors such as a poor work environment, job dissatisfaction and other issues. If such absences become excessive, they can have a seriously adverse impact on a companys operations and, ultimately, its profitability.

One reason, outside of illness, that employees are absent is stress, and the number one reason employees are stressed has to do with their relationship with their manager/supervisor. Many employees will, on occasions, need a few days off work because of illness, however, when absences become more frequent or long term and reach an unacceptable level, action by management is necessary. Absence from work can be expensive in both monetary and human terms. The costs incurred when an employee is absent from work may include: (i) Replacing the employee or requiring other staff to cover the absence; (ii) Inability to provide services, or achieve section and departmental objectives; (iii) Low morale and general dissatisfaction from other staff, particularly if the absence is perceived as unwarranted The usual first reaction of employers is to regard high absence rates as the result of poor work discipline or laziness. However, it also suggests that motivation is poor among at least a significant number of employees. Pay may be low or seen as low; working conditions may be poor. Employees may feel that hard work and merit are not rewarded or even noticed... To be an absentee means you are not in attendance .you are not there. You missed an event or simply, you are without.

1.2 INDUSTRY PROFILE

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Overview of Leather Industry The leather industry occupies a place of prominence in the Indian economy in view of its massive potential for employment, growth and exports. There has been a phenomenal growth in exports from Rs.320 million in the year 1965-66 to Rs.69558 million in 1996-97. The leather industry has undergone a dramatic transformation from a mere exporter of raw materials in the sixties to that of value added finished products in the nineties. Policy initiatives taken by the Government of India since 1973 have been instrumental to such a transformation. In the wake of globalization of Indian economy supported with liberalized economic and trade policies since 1991, the industry is poised for further growth to achieve greater share in the global trade. Apart from a significant foreign exchange earner, leather industry has tremendous potential for employment generation. Direct and indirect employment of the industry is around 2 million. The skilled and semi-skilled workers constitute nearly 50% of the total work force. Structure of the industry The leather industry is spread in different segments, namely, tanning & finishing, footwear & footwear components, leather garments, leather goods including saddlery & harness, etc. The major production centers for leather and leather products are located at Chennai, Ambur, Ranipet, Vaniyambadi, Trichi, Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, Calcutta in West Bengal, Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Jalandhar in Punjab, Bangalore in Karnataka, Delhi and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh Raw material supplies There exists a large raw material base. This is on account of population of 194 million cattle, 70 million buffaloes, and 95 million goats. According to the latest census, India ranks first among the major livestock holding countries in the world. In respect of sheep with 48 million sheeps, it claims the sixth position. These four species provide the basic raw material for the leather industry. The annual availability of 166 million pieces of hides and skins is the main strength of the industry. This is expected to go up to 218 million pieces by the end of
3

year 2000. Some of the goat/calf/sheep skins available in India are regarded as speciality products commanding a good market. Abundance of traditional skills in training, finishing and manufacturing downstream products and relatively low wage rates are the two other factors of comparative advantage for India.

Export Potential The leather industry, one of the major foreign exchange earners of the country recorded significant growth since the beginning of the decade. Today the share of the value added finished products in the total exports from leather sector are 80% as against 20% in 1970s. Indian Leather Goods Industry Items produced by this sector include, in addition to bags, handbags, hand gloves and industrial gloves, wallets, ruck sacks, folios, brief cases, travel ware, belts, sports goods, upholstery and saddlery goods. A surfeit of modern units in Chennai, Kanpur and Calcutta employing skilled human resources and equipped with modern and sophisticated machinery account for a diversified range of superlative small leather goods including bags, purses, wallets, industrial gloves etc. made of quality leathers of cows, sheep, goats and buffaloes. The products meet the requirement of bulk buyers and consumers in Europe, USA and Australia. SWOT Analysis of the Indian leather industry Strengths High Growth Ready availability of highly skilled and cheap manpower Large raw material base

Weaknesses
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 Opportunities

Lack of warehousing support from the government International price fluctuation Huge labor force resulting in high labor charges

Rising potential in the domestic market Growing fashion consciousness globally Use of information technology and decision support software to help eliminate the length of the production cycle for different products

Threats Major part of the industry is unorganized Limited scope for mobilizing funds through private placements and public issues (many businesses are family-owned) Difficulty in obtaining bank loans resulting in high cost of private borrowing Stricter international standards High competition from East European countries and other Asian countries

1.3 COMPANY PROFILE

Company:
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A.V. THOMAS LEATHER AND ALLIED PRODUCTS

About the company:

A.V. Thomas Leather is a part of AVT Group of Companies established in 1925. AVT leather is professionally managed organizations with a strong technical infrastructure and complaint with all social audit norms. They manufacture a wide range of leather goods for a number of brand names of repute in the United States, Europe, the Far-East and Australia. They have a strong emphasis on the product development and design with a well equipped Design Centre for leather goods with 12 in-house professional designers. Their In-house training is supported by 20 leather technicians and they produce 100 leather finishes in each season in various color ways. A.V. Thomas Leather started making leather goods 32 years ago and from a modest beginning they had grown to an organization with employees over 4000 people and with a total factory area of 300000sq.ft. They manufacture a diversified range of leather products both conventional as well as hand crafted. The factory management team geared to cater Just on Time production EDI compatibility.

Company Logo

Annual Packages:
Wallets - 6.0 Million Packaging Boxes - 7.0 Million Bags and Portfolios 0.6 Million Belts - 1.2Millions Full Shoes - 0.6 Million Shoe Uppers - 1.1 Million

Vision:
The companys VISION statement is described as follows: We believe our first responsibility is to our customer, to the single individual who buys our product. We must remember that we cannot influence the choice of millions of customers until we have convinced first one, then the second and then the third that our product is worthy of purchase. Without an understanding of this truth, we could grow content with our past and ignore our future. In meeting our customers needs, everything we do must be of a high quality and each individual product must get our special attention. We must constantly strive to reduce our cost and ensure that we always offer good value for the money we receive.

We are responsible to our employees and we must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have the sense of security in their jobs. Compensation must be fair and adequate and working conditions clean, orderly and safe. Employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints. There must be an equal opportunity for employment, development and advancement for those qualified. We must provide competent management and their actions must be just and ethical creating and environment, which fosters excellence. We are responsible to the communities we live and work in. we must be good citizens, play an active role in improving civic amenities and bear our fair share of taxes. We must maintain in good order or property we are privileged to use, protecting the environment and the natural resources. Our final responsibility is to our stakeholders. Business might make a sound profit and our shareholders must realize a fair return. The profit we make will give us the freedom to shape our future, to experiment with new ideas, to pursue innovation with vigor, and to pay for mistakes. New equipment must be purchased, new facilities provided and new product launched. Reserves must be created to provide it for adverse times. These principles are not easy to fulfill but they cannot be ignored. They have seen us through difficult times and are the real explanation for our success and our formula for our future.

1.4 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

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Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation. An absence refers to time an employee is not on the job during scheduled working hours, except for a granted leave of absence, holiday, or vacation time. However, employee absenteeism is not just an employee issue it is an organizational problem and therefore becomes everyone's responsibility. Says FRANCES DAVIES Absenteeism can have an enormous effect on the productivity of an organization. The average American worker takes six days sick leave a year, and although this is significantly less than in places such as Europe it is still having a big impact on US staffing resources and productivity. The loss of productivity due to short/long-term illness, disability is therefore proving to be a major headache for companies. Effective absence management programs can be the best remedy for reducing absenteeism. Every time an employee is absent from work there is a loss of productivity to the organization, explains Sharon Kaleta, President and CEO of the Disability Management Employers Coalition (DMEC). One person absent from work may not create a problem, but several people absent for one or more days can have a significant financial impact to the organization. GUIDE LINES FOR ABSENTEEISM CONTROL There are two types of absenteeism, each of which requires a different type of approach.
Innocent absenteeism

Innocent absenteeism refers to employees who are absent for reasons beyond their control; like sickness and injury. Innocent absenteeism is not culpable which means that it is blameless. In a lab our relations context this means that it cannot be remedied or treated by disciplinary measures.

Culpable absenteeism

Culpable absenteeism refers to employees who are absent without authorization for reasons which are within their control. For instance, an employee who is on sick
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leave even though he/she is not sick, and it can be proven that the employee was not sick, is guilty of culpable absenteeism. To be culpable is to be blameworthy. In a lab our relations context this means that progressive discipline can be applied. For the large majority of employees, absenteeism is legitimate, innocent absenteeism which occurs infrequently. Procedures for disciplinary action apply only to culpable absenteeism. Many organizations take the view that through the process of individual absentee counseling and treatment, the majority of employees will overcome their problems and return to an acceptable level of regular attendance.
Individual communication

After all available information has been gathered, the administrator or supervisor should individually meet with each employee whom has been identified as having higher than average or questionable (or pattern) absences. This first meeting should be used to bring concerns regarding attendance to the employee's attention. It is also an opportunity to discuss with the employee, in some depth, the causes of his or her attendance problem and possible steps he or she can take to remedy or control the absences. Listen carefully to the employee's responses.
Proof of illness

Sometimes it is helpful in counseling employees with excessive innocent or culpable absenteeism to inquire or verify the nature and reasons of their absence. The extent to which an employer may inquire into the nature of and reasons for an employee's absence from the workplace is a delicate issue. The concepts of an employee's privacy and an employer's need for information affecting the workplace often come into conflict. Seldom is the conflict more difficult to resolve than where personal medical information is involved. Unions will often strongly object to any efforts by management to inquire more deeply into the nature of an employee's illness. You will need to consider the restraints of any language in collective agreements in relation to this issue. COUNSELING INNOCENT ABSENTEEISM The procedure an employer may take for innocent absenteeism is as follows: 1. Initial counseling(s)
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2. Written counseling(s) 3. Reduction(s) of hours and/or job reclassification 4. Discharge

Initial Counseling:

If the absences are intermittent, meet with the employee each time he/she returns to work. If absence is prolonged, keep in touch with the employee regularly and stay updated on the status of his/her condition. (Indicate your willingness to assist.) You may require the employee to provide you with regular medical assessments. This will enable you to judge whether or not there is any likelihood of the employee providing regular attendance in future. Regular medical assessments will also give you an idea of what steps the employee is taking to seek medical or other assistance. Formal meetings in which verbal warnings are given should be given as appropriate and documented. If no improvement occurs written warning may be necessary. Written Counseling If the absences persist, you should meet with the employee formally and provide him/her with a letter of concern. If the absenteeism still continues to persist then the employee should be given a second letter of concern during another formal meeting. This letter would be stronger worded in that it would warn the employee that unless attendance improves, termination may be necessary. Reduction(s) of hours and or job reclassification In between the first and second letters the employee may be given the option to reduce his/her hours to better fit his/her personal circumstances. This option must be voluntarily accepted by the employee and cannot be offered as an ultimatum, as a reduction in hours is a reduction in pay and therefore can be looked upon as discipline.

Discharge Only when all the previously noted needs and conditions have been met and everything has been done to accommodate the employee can termination be

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considered. An Arbitrator would consider the following in ruling on an innocent absenteeism dismissal case. 1. Has the employee done everything possible to regain their health and return to work? 2. Has the employer provided every assistance possible? (I.e. counseling, support, time off.) 3. Has the employer informed the employee of the unworkable situation resulting from their sickness? 4. Has the employer attempted to accommodate the employee by offering a more suitable position (if available) or a reduction of hours? Effects of Absenteeism The effect of absenteeism firstly reduces the income of the workmen on the principle of No work No Pay. Consequently the loss is also to the employer both in discipline and efficiency and thus the industry suffers due to loss of production and income. The absenteeism affects adversely both the employee and the worker and give rise to many industrial unrest and labor problem. It also affects the attitude of the workers towards industry and industrial life.

2.1 NEED FOR THE STUDY

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The study aims at the causes of absenteeism of workers .At present organization in India take real interest in controlling absenteeism. The relevance of the study is that how the company is facing a major issue of high rate of absenteeism and hope that the study will reveal the reason for it and thereby the organization can take effective measures for checking absenteeism. Measures to prevent strikes and lockouts have received far and greater attention. One reason for this situation may be that strikes and lockouts are more noisy and visible while absenteeism is silent and unnoticeable. The relevance of the study is that, now the company is facing a major issue of high rate of absenteeism and hope that the study will reveal the reason for it and thereby the organization can take effective measures for checking the absenteeism.

2.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of the study has been briefly described as follows: Primary objectives:
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To identify the absenteeism for the period of 5 months (March-July) in A.V.Thomas Leathers and Allied Products which is the part of AVT group of companies

To identify the chronic absenteeism in an organization.

Secondary objectives:

To identify the various causes of the absenteeism in the organization. To provide suggestion to reduce the absenteeism.

2.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study is very wider. It analysis the reason for absenteeism in an organization and its consequences. This study will provide us to identify the
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problem faced by the employees and measures to reduce the absenteeism in an organization and due to absence of employee the production will reduce on the particular day. This measure will show the absenteeism in the organization.

2.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. One can also define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a

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specific topic. Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense. Research Methods Research methods refer to the behavior and instruments used in selecting and constructing research technique. Research Design The Research Design undertaken for the study is Descriptive one. It constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of data. As such the design includes an outline of what the researcher will do form writing the hypothesis and its operational implication to the final analysis of data. Research Technique Research technique refers to the behavior and instruments we use in performing research operations such as making observations, recording data, techniques of processing data and the like. Research Methodology Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically Data Collection Methods Primary Data Questionnaires are prepared and personal interview was conducted. Most of the questions are consist of multiple choices. The structured interview method was undertaken. The interview was conducted in English as well as in Tamil. Secondary Data Secondary data was collected from Internets, various books, Journals, and Company Records. Population
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All items in any field of inquiry constitute a universe or population. The Population or Universe can be Finite or infinite. The population is said to be finite if it consist of a fixed number of elements so that it is possible to enumerate it in its totality. So In this projects consist of finite population. The population was found to be 4000 employees in this study. Sample size Number of the sampling units selected from the population is called the size of the sample. The sample size for this study is 120 employees working in the organization. Sampling Frame Sampling frame is a listing of the elements in a population. The sample frame is therefore the largest possible sample of a population. That is everything that can be selected from. Sample design A sample design is a finite plan for obtaining a sample from a given population. The sampling design used in this study is Simple Random Sampling. Hypothesis A hypothesis is a statement about the population parameter. In other words, a hypothesis is a conclusion which is tentatively drawn on logical basis. HO: There is no significant difference between the two attributes. H1: There is a significant difference between the two attributes.

Testing of Hypothesis The testing of hypothesis is a procedure that helps us to ascertain the likelihood of hypothesized population parameter being correct by making use of the sample statistic. Null hypothesis
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The statistical hypothesis that is set up for testing a hypothesis is known as Null Hypothesis. The null hypothesis is set up in testing a statistical hypothesis only to decide whether to accept or reject the null hypothesis. Null hypothesis is usually denoted by Ho. Alternative hypothesis The negation of Null hypothesis is called the Alternative hypothesis. In other words, any hypothesis which is not a null Hypothesis is called as Alternative Hypothesis. It is denoted by H1. Questionnaire Construction Questionnaires were constructed based on the following types Open ended questions Close ended questions Multiple choice questions Description of Statistical Tools Used Percentage method Chi-square test Spearmans Rank Correlation

Percentage Method In this project Percentage method test was used. The percentage method is used to know the accurate percentages of the data we took, it is easy to graph out through the percentages. The following are the formula No of Respondent
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Percentage of Respondent = Total no. of Respondents

x 100

Chi-Square Analysis In this project chi-square test was used. This is an analysis of technique which analyzed the stated data in the project. It analysis the assumed data and calculated in the study. The Chi-square test is an important test amongst the several tests of significant developed by statistical. Chi-square, symbolically written as x2 (Pronounce as Ki-Spare), is a statistical measure used in the context of sampling analysis for comparing a variance to a theoretical variance.

Formula (O-E) 2 2= E O E = = Observed frequency Expected frequency

Correlation Correlation analysis deals with the association between two or more variables. It does not tell anything about cause and effect relationship. Correlation is classified in two types as Positive and Negative correlation.
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SPEARMAN Correlation method, it also can be said as Rank Correlation. It is defined by the symbol r Formula 6 d r =1 ______________ n (n-1) Correlation value shall always lie between +1 and-1. When r =1, it shows there is perfect positive correlation between variables. When r = 0, There is no correlation.

2.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The limitations of the study on ABSENTEEISM in A.V. Thomas Leathers and Allied Products are described as follows: Because of time constraints, the sample size is restricted to 120 which may not reflect the opinion of the entire group.
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 Some of the respondents are unwilling to give their answers. The organization does not provide a separate time to interview the respondents during the work period. It was difficult to collect information from some of the employees

2.6 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION PERCENTAGE METHOD Table 2.6.1 - Table showing the Age of the workers:

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Interpretation: It has been interpreted that 50% of the employees who has been participated in the survey are of the age below 20 years, the rest of them belongs to 25% of age 21S. NO Options No. of Respondents Percentage (%) 1 <20 60 50 2 21-30 30 25 3 31-40 15 13 4 41-50 10 8 5 >51 5 4 Total 120 100 30years, and 13% of age 31-40 years and 4% with age greater than 51.

Chart 2.6.1(a) - Chart showing the Age of the workers:

Percentage (%)

Age

Table 2.6.2 - Table showing the Gender of the workers:

S. NO 1

Options Male

No. of Respondents 35
22

Percentage (%) 29

2 Total Interpretation:

Female

85 120

71 100

It has been interpreted from the survey that the 71% of the employees are female and 29% of the employees are male. Chart 2.6.2(a) - Chart showing the Gender of the workers Percentage

Table 2.6.3 - Table showing the Workers Opinion about the Job:

S. NO 1 2 3

Options Heavy Work Load Long Work of Hour Poor Working Climate

No. of Respondents 55 47 18
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Percentage (%) 46 39 15

Total Interpretation:

120

100

From the survey conducted, it has been interpreted that the 46% of the employees feel that their job consists of heavy work load, while the others such as 39% of the employees feels that they has to work for long hours and the remaining 15% of the employees say that they have poor working climate. Chart 2.6.3(a) - Chart showing the Workers Opinion about the Job

Percentage (%)

Workers Opinion about the Job

Table 2.6.4 - Table showing the Duration of Leave taken by the Employees:

S. NO 1 2

Options 1 day 2-3 days

No. of Respondents 78 32
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Percentage (%) 65 27

3 4 Total

4-5 days More than 5 days

8 2 120

7 1 100

Interpretation: From the survey regarding the duration of leave taken by the employees it has been interpreted that 65% of the employees say they take leave of just 1day, while 27% of the employees say that they take leave for 2-3day and the others such as 7% of the employees say that they take leave for 4-5days and 1% of the employees said that they take leave for more than 5days. Chart 2.6.4(a) - Chart showing the Duration of Leave taken by the Employees:

Percentage (%)

Duration of Leave

Table 2.6.5 - Table showing whether the Employees are to duty on time:

S. No 1 2

Options Yes No

No. of Respondents 110 10

25

Percentage (%) 92 8

Total

120

100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted that 92% of the employees are attending their daily duty on time and 8% of the employees do not attend the duty on time. Chart 2.6.5(a) - Chart showing whether the Employees are to duty on time:

Percentage

Employees are to duty on time

Table 2.6.6 - Table showing the Employees Opinion regarding Balancing their Personal Life with their Professional Life:

S. No 1 2

Options Yes No

No. of Respondents 103 17

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Percentage (%) 86 14

Total

120

100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted from the survey that 86% of the employees can balance their personal life with their professional life but at the same time 14% of the employees say that they cannot do that. Chart 2.6.6(a) - Chart showing the Employees Opinion regarding Balancing their Personal Life with their Professional Life: Percentage

Balancing their life

Table 2.6.7 - Table showing the Employee opinion regarding the Effect of Absenteeism: Options Cause Work Stress Delayed Performance Lead to Overtime Less Turnover All the above Total No. of Respondents 13 5 7 6 89 120
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Percentage (%) 11 4 6 5 74 100

Interpretation: From the survey which has been conducted regarding the effect of absenteeism from the employees it has been interpreted that 11% of them say that it causes work stress and 4% of the employees say that their work has been delayed and 6% of them say that it leads to work overtimes apart from the usual working hours and 5% of the employees says that it results in less turnover and apart from that 74% of the employees says that all the above mentioned things happens if they had been absent from their duty. Chart 2.6.7(a) - Chart showing the Employee opinion regarding the Effect of Absenteeism:

Effect of Absenteeism Chart 2.6.8 - Table showing the Employee Satisfaction Level with relationship with the superior: S. No 1 2 3 4 5 Options Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dis-satisfied Highly dis-satisfied Total Interpretation:
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Percentage (%)

No. of Respondents 48 47 20 2 3 120

Percentage (%) 40 39 17 2 2 100

In regard to the satisfaction level of the employees towards that of their superior, it has been interpreted that 40% of the employees are being highly satisfied and 39% of them are satisfied with their superior and 17% of the employees are neither satisfied nor dis-satisfied with the employees and 2% of employees feels dissatisfied and 2% feel highly dis-satisfied with their superior Chart 2.6.8(a) - Chart showing the Employee Satisfaction Level with relationship with the superior:

Percentage (%)

Satisfaction Level

Table 2.6.9 - Table showing the Employee opinion for Long Absence from duty: S. No 1 2 3 4 5 Options Family Problem Personal Problem Religious Matter Social Obligation None of the above Total No. of Respondents 94 15 9 1 1 120 Percentage (%) 78 13 7 1 1 100

Interpretation:
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It has been interpreted that 78% of the employees says the reason for leave as family problems and 13% of them says that they have personal problem and hence they cant come to the duty and 7% of the employees say that the reason for leave as for that to religious matter and 1% of them say the reason for the social obligation and 1% of them says that they has other reason for leave but cannot be explained. Chart 2.6.9(a) - Chart showing the Employee opinion for Long Absence from duty:

Percentage (%)

Reason for Long Absence

Table 2.6.10 - Table showing whether any help has been provided by the coworkers to do a job:

S. No 1 2

Options Yes No Total

No. of Respondents 113 7 120

Percentage (%) 94 6 100

Interpretation: With regard to the help that has been provided by the co-workers in performing the job, it has been interpreted that, 94% of the employees has received
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the help from their co-workers in performing their job and just 6% of the employees feels that the co-workers are not providing adequate help in performing the job. Chart 2.6.10(a) - Chart showing whether any help has been provided by the coworkers to do a job: Percentage

Help provided by the co-workers

Table 2.6.11 - Table showing whether the Employee has met with Accident while doing work: S. No 1 2 Options Yes No Total No. of Respondents 17 103 120 Percentage (%) 14 86 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted and found that just 14% of the employees have been met with an accident while doing their work and 86% of them has smoothly continued their job without accident.

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Chart 2.6.11(a) - Chart showing whether the Employee has met with Accident while doing work: Percentage

Met with Accident

Table 2.6.12 - Table showing the Workers reason for Leave:

S. No 1 2 3 4

Options Sickness Lack of interest in job Poor Working Condition Long working hours Total

No. of Respondents 97 13 7 3 120

Percentage (%) 81 11 6 2 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted that the reason for leave by the employees is as follows: 81% of the employees say that they are not well and 11% say that they lose interest in
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their job and 6% of the employees say that they have poor working condition and 2% of the employees say that they have long working hours and hence they take leave. Chart 2.6.12(a) - Chart showing the Workers reason for Leave:

Percentage (%)

Workers reason for Leave

Table 2.6.13 - Table showing the employee opinion regarding the Work Environment: S. No 1 2 3 4 Options Excellent Good Fair Poor Total No. of Respondents 95 17 8 0 120 Percentage (%) 79 14 7 0 100

Interpretation: In regards to the working environment in the organization, it has been interpreted that, 79% of the employees says that they have the excellent working environment and 14% of them says that their working environment is good and 7% of them says its fair. It has to be noted that none of the employees feels that their working environment is bad or poor.
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Chart 2.6.13(a) - Chart showing the employee opinion regarding the Work Environment:

Percentage (%)

Work Environment

Table 2.6.14 - Table showing the workers thought regarding the work pressure on the job:

S. No 1 2

Options Yes No Total

No. of Respondents 60 60 120

Percentage (%) 50 50 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted with regards to the work pressure in their job, it has been found that 50% of the employees say that they have the work pressure and 50% of them say that they dont have any work pressure in their job. Chart 2.6.14(a) - Chart showing the workers thought regarding the work pressure on the job: Percentage

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Work Pressure

Table 2.6.15 - Table showing the Employees thought regarding the Work Pressure on the Job: S. No 1 2 3 4 Options Forced to do work Improper Environment Strict Supervision Others Total No. of Respondents 17 5 83 15 120 Percentage (%) 14 4 69 13 100

Interpretation: With regard to the kind of work pressure, it has been interpreted that 14% of the employees say that they are been forced to do their work and 4% of the employees say that they have improper environment and 69% of the employees say that they have their work pressure through strict supervision and 13% of the employees say that they have other factors but it cannot be said or explained. Chart 2.6.15(a) - Chart showing the Employees thought regarding the Work Pressure on the Job:

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Percentage (%)

Type of Work Pressure

Table 2.6.16 - Table showing that the company is providing the adequate number of leave when the employees ask:

S. No 1 2

Options Yes No Total

No. of Respondents 109 11 120

Percentage (%) 91 9 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted that 91% of the employees say that the organization is being providing them adequate leave at the time the employees ask and 9% of the employees have opposed it and said that the organization does not provide adequate leave at the time they ask. Chart 2.6.16(a) - Chart showing that the company is providing the adequate number of leave when the employees ask: Percentage

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Providing the adequate number of leave

Table 2.6.17 - Table showing the Employees opinion about the Factors to Reduce Absenteeism: S. No 1 2 3 4 Options Increase in number of holidays Better working conditions Providing Non-Monetary Benefit Better Performance appraisal Total No. of Respondents 69 17 26 8 120 Percentage (%) 58 14 22 6 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted with regard to the factors to reduce absenteeism, 58% of the employees say that increasing the number of holidays in a month will automatically lead to the reduction in absenteeism and 14% of the employees feels that provision of the better working conditions would be fine and 22% of the employees say that providing non-monetary benefit will reduce absenteeism and 6% of them say that provision of better performance appraisal will lead to reduction of absenteeism. Chart 2.6.17(a) - Chart showing the Employees opinion about the Factors to Reduce Absenteeism:

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Factors to Reduce Absenteeism Table 2.6.18 - Table showing the level of awareness of their absent from their work: S. NO 1 2 3 4 5 Options Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Dis-agree Strongly dis-agree Total No. of Respondents 63 27 15 10 5 120 Percentage (%) 53 22 13 8 4 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted that 53% of the employees strongly agree that they have the level of awareness of being absent from the duty and 22% of the employees agree their level of awareness and 13% of the employees neither agree nor dis-agree their level of awareness of being absent and 8% of the employees dis-agree and 4% of the employees strongly dis-agree their level of awareness of being absent from the work. Chart 2.6.18(a) - Chart showing the level of awareness of their absent from their work:

Percentage (%)

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Percentage (%)

Level of awareness Table 2.6.19 - Table showing the workers opinion that job enrichment creates reduction in Absenteeism: S. No 1 2 3 4 5 Options Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Dis-agree Strongly dis-agree Total No. of Respondents 72 29 15 3 1 120 Percentage (%) 60 24 12 3 1 100

Interpretation: It has been interpreted that 60% of the employees strongly agree that the job enrichment created reduction in absenteeism and 24% of the employees agree the job enrichment and 12% of the employees neither agree nor dis-agree that the job enrichment leads to reduction in absenteeism and 3% of the employees dis-agree and 1% of the employees strongly dis-agree that the job enrichment leads to reduction in absenteeism. Chart 2.6.19(a) - Chart showing the workers opinion that job enrichment creates reduction in Absenteeism:

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Job enrichment Table 2.6.20 - Table showing the various workers opinion to reduce the absenteeism: S. No 1 2 3 4 Options Adapting Job Rotation Job Enrichment Co-ordination with co-workers Efficient Superior Total No. of Respondents 26 63 25 6 120 Percentage (%) 22 52 21 5 100

Interpretation; It has been interpreted with regards to the various factors that will reduce the absenteeism it is found that 22% of the employees says that adapting job rotation will reduce that absenteeism and 52% of them say that job enrichment of the employees will makes them proud and that may reduce the absenteeism and 21% of them say that co-ordination with the co-workers will reduce and 5% of the employees says that the efficient superior will normally leads to the reduction in absenteeism in an organization. Chart 2.6.20(a) - Chart showing the various workers opinion to reduce the absenteeism:

Percentage (%)

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Opinion to reduce the absenteeism Table 2.6.21 - Table showing the opinion regarding the motivational factor that can avoid taking leave: S. No 1 2 3 4 Options Good Employee Relations Work environment Recognition of the work Incentives and Bonus Total Interpretation: It has been interpreted that 27% of the employees feels that good employees relation is a factor through which the employees can be avoided taking leave and 13% of them says that providing a good work environment may also be considered as another factor and 22% of the employees say that the recognition of the work done by the employees may also be considered as a motivational factor and at last 38% of the employees says that the best motivational factors through which the employees will not take leave is to provide more incentives and bonus. Chart 2.6.21(a) - Chart showing the opinion regarding the motivational factor that can avoid taking leave: No. of Respondents 33 15 26 46 120 Percentage (%) 27 13 22 38 100

Percentage (%)

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Percentage (%)

Motivational Factor CHI-SQUARE TEST FOR GOODNESS OF FIT Workers opinion that motivational factor that can avoid taking leave HO: There is no significant difference between motivational factor and absenteeism H1: There is a significant difference between motivational factor and absenteeism E=Oij/N =120/4 =30 Observed frequency(O) 33 15 26 46 Oij/N=120 Expected frequency(E) 30 30 30 30 (O-E) 3 -15 -4 16 (O-E)2 9 225 16 256 (O-E)2/E 0.3 7.5 0.53 8.53 (O-E)2/E=16.86

Degree of freedom = (n-1) = (4-1) =3 Calculated value = 16.86

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Tabulated value = 7.815 Since the calculated value is greater than the tabulated value reject HO. Hence there is a significant difference between motivational factor and absenteeism.

SPEARMANS RANK CORRELATION FOR THE FACTORS JOB ENRICHMENT AND THE EFFECT OF ABSENTEEISM

Job Enrichment (X) 72 29 15 3 1 Null Hypothesis (HO) : significant

Effect of Absenteeism (Y) 13 5 7 6 89

Rank of X 5 4 3 2 1

Rank of Y 4 1 3 2 5

d = (Rx - Ry) 1 3 0 0 -4

1 9 0 0 16

The Job enrichment and the Effect of Absenteeism are not

Alternate Hypothesis (H1): significant Level of Significance

The Job enrichment and the Effect of Absenteeism are

5% 6 d

r =

1n (n-1)

n Calculated value [Z = r (n-1)] Table value Conclusion

= = =

5 |- 0.372| 0.9000

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Since the Calculated Value is less than Table Value, we accept Null Hypothesis. Hence, the Job enrichment and the Effect of Absenteeism are not significant. 3.1 FINDINGS

It has been inferred that 50% of the employees say they have work pressure in
their job and 50% of them says the do not have any work pressure.

It has been found that 45% of the employees say that there is a heavy work
load in their job.

It has also been found that 65% of the employees take just one day leave. It has been inferred that 92% of the employees attend duty on time and 8% do not.

86% of the employees say that they can balance their personal life with their professional life.

It is found that 74% of the employees say that the absenteeism will lead to work stress, delayed performance in work, lead to overtime and also leads to lesser turnover.

It has been inferred that 40% of the employees are highly satisfied with their employees.

With regards to the reason of long absence from the duty, it is found that 78% of the employees say that they have family problem and just 13% of them say the reason as personal problem.

It has been found that 94% of the employees say that the co-workers are helping them in completing their work.

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It has also been found that 86% of the employees do not met with any accident while doing their work and hence it shows the efficient safety measures provided by the organization.

It has been inferred that 81% of the employees say they are ill and it has been a reason for leave.

It has been found that 79% of the employees say that their working environment is excellent.

In regards to the kind of work pressure 69% of them say the strict supervision is the major form of work pressure they face in the organization.

It has been inferred that 91% of the employees say that the organization has been providing the adequate numbers of leave when the employees ask for it.

It has been inferred that 58% of the employees say that increasing the number of holidays will be a factor which may reduce the absenteeism.

It has been found that 53% of the employees say that they strongly agree that they have the awareness of been absent from the duty.

It has also been found that 60% of the employees strongly agree that the job enrichment creates reduction in absenteeism.

With regards to workers opinion to reduce absenteeism 52% of the employees say that job enrichment will reduce the absenteeism

It has been inferred that 38% of the employees says that incentives and bonus can be a motivational factor that can avoid taking leave.

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3.2 SUGGESTIONS The management has to maintain good relationship with the workers and its also can reduce the absenteeism It is suggested that the work load due to overtime can be reduced by the organization It is also been suggested that the strict supervision must also be reduced and there must be friendly relationship among the workers.

More number of employees is being absent due to the family problems and hence organization must take necessary steps in identifying the problems and provide counseling to the various employees thus reducing the rate of absenteeism.

It has been suggested that provision of job enrichment to the employees would lead to the reduction in absenteeism.

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3.3 CONCLUSION A study on employees absenteeism measures was carried among the employees of A.T Thomas Leathers and Allied Products. Employee absenteeism reduces workers earnings and adds to his/her indebtedness, decrease his/her purchasing power. Makes it difficult for him to meet necessities of life, leading to personal problems, and in many cases loss of employment and resultant disaster of his dependents. The main objective of this research is to study the various causes of the absenteeism in the organization. The types of research design used for the study are descriptive research .Sample size taken for the study is 120 employees. Simple random sampling technique has been used. A structured questionnaire is prepared to collect primary data. Secondary data was also been tapped. To test the reliability and validity of the collected data percentage analysis is used along with the statistical tools such as chi square test for goodness of fit and spearmans rank correlation. Employees regular presence is a must to every company as work progress can take place effectively only if the employee is working without any break .Likewise an employee can excel in his job and can know his level of expertise in his job only he goes to work regularly. Studying the absenteeism help to find out the reason for major absenteeism and eliminate them. Apart from its annual attendance reward scheme is also motivate workman.

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APPENDICES Questionnaire PERSONAL DATA: Name: (optional) Age: Gender: Department: Experience: Assembly <6 Months

<20

21 - 30 Male Cutting

31 - 40 Female Finishing

41 50

>51

Material Store Leather Store 1 2 years >2 years

6 months 1 year

1. What is the workers opinion about the job?

o Heavy work load o Long hours of work o Poor working climate

2. What is the duration of the leave taken by an employee in an month?

o 1 day o 2-3 days o 4-5 days o More than 5 days

3. Is the employee attending the daily duty on time?

o Yes o No

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4. What is employees opinion about balancing their personal life with the

professional life? o Yes, they can balance o No, they cannot

5. What is the workers opinion about the effect of absenteeism?

o Cause work stress o Delayed performance o Lead to overtime o Less turnover o All the above
6. What is the employee satisfaction level with relationship with the superior?

o Highly satisfied o Satisfied o Neutral o Dis-satisfied o Highly dis-satisfied

7. What is the employee opinion for long absence?

o Family problem o Personal problem o Religious matter o Social obligation o None of the above 8. Are the co-workers helping in the work of an employee? o Yes o No
9. Does the employee have met with any accident while doing their work?

o Yes
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o No
10. What is the workers reason for leave?

o Sickness o Lack of interest in job o Poor working conditions o Long working hours
11. What is the employee opinion regarding work environment?

o Excellent o Good o Fair o Poor

12. What are the workers thought regarding the work pressure on the job?

o Yes, there is a lot of work pressure o No, there is no work pressure

13. What type of work pressure the employee facing in the organization?

o Forced to do work o Improper environment o Strict supervision

14. Is the company providing adequate number of leave to the employee when

they ask? o Yes o No

15. What is the workers opinion about the factors to reduce the absenteeism?

o Increase in number of holidays o Better working conditions o Providing non-monetary benefit o Better performance appraisal
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16. What is the workers level of awareness regarding their absent from their

work? o Strongly Agree o Agree o Neutral o Disagree o Strongly Disagree

17. What is the workers opinion about job enrichment creates reduction in

absenteeism of employees? o Strongly agree o Agree o Neutral o Dis-agree o Strongly dis-agree

18. What is the workers opinion to reduce absenteeism

o Adapting job rotation o Job enrichment o Co-ordination with co-workers o Efficient superior
19. What is the employees opinion on the motivational factor avoiding taking

leave? o Good employee relations o Work environment o Recognition of the work o Incentives and bonus based on performance 20. The suggestions that can be provided by the employees to the management to reduce the absenteeism in an organization.
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REFERENCES

Books Referred:

Aswathappa Management

(1995)

absenteeism,

Human

Resource

&

Personnel

C R Kothari, (2006) 2nd edition Research Methodology

P.N . Arora, Statistics for management

S.S Kanka, Huaman Resoures Management

Websites:

www.citehr.com www.gmt.co.in www.scribd.com www.wikepiedia.com

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