HRPO CASE 16

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
HRPO Case 16
From the case study, we see that Lorraine has been absent from work excessively although she is very good at her job. Lorraine’s absenteeism can be defined as chronic absenteeism since she is absent from work on a regular basis. Firing Lorraine may not be a good decision at the moment. Loraine is very efficient in her work and understands her job very well. Finding a suitable replacement for Lorraine may not be easy. However, Mr. Hodges should issue a warning letter to Lorraine stating that the company will not have an option if she does not improve her absenteeism.
Mr. Hodges should make a performance improvement plan to help Lorraine understand and be accountable for the work she missed and how her absenteeism has resulted in decreased productivity, reduced revenues and extra costs. Mr. Hodges together with Lorraine should agree on a sick leave plan policy which allows her a certain number of days to use when she or her daughter falls ill.
Absenteeism
Absenteeism is the habit of failing to turn up at the workplace by an employee without valid reasons. Absenteeism is unplanned absence in the workplace by an employee and does not include excused absences by the employer or supervisor (Doyle n.d.). Absenteeism has a negative impact on both employees and employers. The employer may decide not to pay the employee for taking a lot of time off or may decide to end the employment of the employee. Taking excessive time off from work may force the employer to replace the employee permanently.

Absenteeism affects the organization’s revenue, productivity and may result in unnecessary costs. Annual costs as a result of absenteeism vary according to the industry with huge losses reported in professional jobs (Investopedia n.d.).
The costs associated with absenteeism include; salaries paid to absent workers, cost of hiring replacements, and overtime cost for other employees and administrative costs involved in managing absenteeism. Indirect costs associated with absenteeism include producing poor quality goods and services as a result of overworking other employees or understaffing and decline in productivity resulting in reduced revenues (Investopedia n.d.).
Tackling absenteeism is a challenging task since there are genuine and lame excuses for employees not to show up at work. It is very hard to determine if an employee or his or her relative is sick unless the company policy requires them to produce a doctor’s note(Investopedia n.d.). The employer also evaluates the additional costs should a sick employee come to work and infect the other employees who will also need time off. For instance, it is very difficult for Mr. Hodges to prove that Lorraine or Sissy her daughter is sick when she misses work.

Works cited
Doyle, Alison “What is Abstenteeism?” Thebalance 17 Aug. 2017, www.thebalance.com/what-is-absenteeism-2060809. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.
Investopedia, “The Causes and Costs of Absenteeism In The Workplace.” Forbes, 10 Jul. 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2013/07/10/the-causes-and-costs-of-absenteeism-in-the-workplace/#7f779b993eb6. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.