CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Organizations over the years have sought means of improving employee resource management particular with the interest of reducing the employee work absenteeism and to maintain low level of employee turnover in manufacturing industry. Employee motivation, shift work system, team work and other means of enhancing employee happiness and job satisfaction have been applied by management to reduce employee absenteeism and labour turnover to improve overall organizational performance. However, despite the awareness of the adverse effect of absenteeism on overall organizational productivity and performance, the level of absenteeism tend to remain high in Nigerian, especially in the public sector.

Cascio (2003), defined absenteeism as any failure of an employee to report for or remain at work as scheduled, regardless of reason, expresses a monitory implication. The term ‘as scheduled’ is every significant, for this automatically excludes vacations, holidays, jury duty and the like. It also eliminates the problem of determining whether the absenteeism is excusable or not. Medically verified illness is a good example. From a business perspective, the employee is absent and is simply not available to perform his or her job, which means the absenteeism will cost money.Tiwari (2014) defined absenteeism as absence of workers from the regular work without prior permission. Excessive absenteeism involves a considerable loss to the enterprise because work scheduled are upset and delayed and management has to give overtime wages to meet the delivery dates. The rates of overtime wages are doubled than the normal rates of wages. Therefore, study of cause of absenteeism is essential to deal with the problm.Ivancevich and Matteson (2004) were of the view that absenteeism is costly because it reduces output and is disruptive because it requires that schedules and programmes be modified. Van der Merwe (2008) also establishes a relationship between absenteeism and labour turnover in that they share withdrawal behaviour where with absenteeism the behaviour is temporal and permanent with labour turnover.

Although all employers are aware that sometimes absences are inevitable, reduced attendance by employees can affect the bottom line by harmfully impacting output, work excellence, self-confidence and customer service and satisfaction. There are numerous contributing reasons that impact on an organization’s objectives but one of the most costly is absenteeism. Employers need to handle all forms of nonattendance in a fair and transparent way to reduce disharmony in the workplaces. Within the context of the public subdivisions in Tanzania there could be dissimilar interpretations of conditions of service that relate to absence from a workplace. For example, some employees employed in the Local Government Authorities (LGAs) could perceive that they are on duty when consulting any client while at home.

Managing workplace absenteeism is one of the difficult human management issues facing employers and employees for years and even today. This study tried to identify the causes of absenteeism in the workplace as well as its impacts; the findings of this study will be useful to the management of human resources and reduce employee’s absenteeism at work places. In his article Munro (2007) suggests that the issue of absenteeism should be researched to assess the extent of such perceptions and actual loss of working hours in a given productivity.

Most organizations do not usually connect monetary cost to the loss caused by workers absenteeism, they usually feel very unwilling to attack the problem and some organizations are unaware of the problem. Extensive time, effort and cash are 4 poured into attracting, selecting and training members of staff, but too little of the same are directed towards reducing absenteeism. It was worthwhile carrying out this study because of the numerous problems associated with employees’ absenteeism and its attendant effect on the productivity and effectiveness of an organization or firm.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Coming late and absenteeism is just a normal thing in the public service and it is caused due to the lack of control and indiscipline in the public service and had given room for inefficiency among public servants. Both government and the public servants themselves is responsible for this disease which had eaten deep into the fabrics of the public service in Nigeria. Nnawuba (1996) refer to control as discipline has been responsible for the poor economy of our nation. For instance, the inflation of contract award by the public servants, embezzlement of public fund, and civil servants engagement in political activities and so on and so forth.

Employees’ absenteeism has been in the middle of the serious troubles facing majority of the workplaces for years particularly in the government authorities. Employee absence at the place of work doesn’t only affect someone or an employee who is absent at the workplace, but rather the employees in general and their departments are affected. From the economic point of view absenteeism leads to the loss of potential productivity plus the increased government expenditure on needless interventions for example overtime costs and other benefits to workers may be required to make up work. Absenteeism reduces spirits of others and hence low output of an organization, the researcher therefore.

1.3     Objective of the Study

The main objective of this study is to find out the impact of employee absenteeism on performance of local government workers, specifically the study intends to;

1.     Find out the causes of absenteeism among local government workers

2.     Analyze the impact of absenteeism on the performance of Local government workers

3.     To proffer strategies that can be to reduce staff absenteeism and stabilize performance.

1.4     Research Question

1.     What is the causes of absenteeism among local government workers

2.     Is there any significant impact of absenteeism on the performance of Local government workers

3.     What strategies that can be to reduce staff absenteeism and stabilize performance.

1.5     Research Hypothesis

Ho: there is no significant impact of absenteeism on the performance of Local government workers

Hi: there is a significant impact of absenteeism on the performance of Local government workers

1.6     Significance of the Study

This research is very significant because it will be of immense benefit to the management in the Nigeria public, since the ability to apply this will help them to stem the tide of inefficiency and low performance in this sector. This study will be of great benefit to the workers in the public service especially local government as the study will unveil some of the disciplinary methods and procedures and their effects on workers. Therefore, workers will be opportune to have insight and take necessary correction for improve performance in the public service. Private sector organizations would benefit from this study because the findings and subsequent recommendations by the researcher will make them learn more about control and discipline and its impact on workers performance and this will enable them know how to apply them in their sector.

Finally, this study saves as another contribution to the academic development to the concept control and discipline, and for this reasons will be of immense benefit to students. They will find this study very useful since the information they will gather, would assist them especially those who may wish to carry out further research on the subject matter in future.

1.7     Scope of the Study

This study will be conducted in Ado-Odo LGA in Ogun state. All employees were included to participate in this study. The results of this study will be useful in addressing harms linked with employees’ absenteeism in the LGA.

1.8     Delimitation of the Study

Finance for the general research work will be a challenge during the course of study. Correspondents also might not be able to complete or willing to submit the questionnaires given to them.

However, it is believed that these constraints will be worked on by making the best use of the available materials and spending more than the necessary time in the research work. Therefore, it is strongly believed that despite these constraint, its effect on this research report will be minimal, thus, making the objective and significance of the study achievable.