10–30 min (tel)
ABS: absenteeism; Cou: counseling; Edu: education; S: significant; Sed: sedentary; Sed/NoS: differ among employees; FtF: face-to-face; G: group; Ind: individual; MC: multicomponent; Mod: moderate; NoS: non-sedentary; ns: non-specified; Non-S: non-significant; Org: organizational; Onl: online; PA: physical activity; PERF: performance; PROD: productivity; PRES: presenteeism; Out WH: outside work hours; Tel: telephone; WAB: work ability; WB: web-based; WH: work hours. In the “Type of job” column, the studies were categorized among Sed, NoS or Sed/NoS. It divided studies depending the type of workers included. Sed (sedentary work type activity employees): workers of safe company; working teacher; insurance company workers; computer workers; information technology company employees; workers of bank; municipal organizations, governmental organizations and private enterprises; civil servant (white-collar workers); sedentary workers of different companies; officers; bus driver. NoS (non-sedentary work type activity employees): health care workers; manufacturing workers; construction workers; cleaning workers; firefighter; aluminum company; laundromat woman; postal and telecom services. Sed/NoS (sedentary and non-sedentary work type activity employees): health care and education sector workers; health workers and meat-processing industry and call centers; middle managers’ employees of insurance companies, banks and advertising agencies.
Intervention characteristics of the RCTs included in the systematic review focus on improving work ability.
Ref | Population | Intervention Characteristics | Outcome | Results | Quality | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type of Job | Stratification | Duration Interv + Follow-up | Type | Homework | Communication Channel | of Sessions | Session Duration | Group or Individual | Time-Frame | ||||
Dalager et al, 2015 [ ] | Sed | No | 20-week | PA | No | FtF | 20 | 1 h | G | WH | WAB + PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Ebert et al, 2014 [ ] | Sed | Yes | 6-month | Cou | Yes | Onl | 5 | ns | Ind | ns | ABS + WAB | Non-S | Mod |
VanBerkel et al, 2014 [ ] | Sed | No | 6-month + 12-month | Edu | Yes | FtF + Onl | 8 | 90 min | G | OutWH | WAB + PERF | Non-S | Mod |
von Thiele Schwarz et al, 2008 [ ] | Sed | No | 12-month | MC | No | FtF | ns | ns | ns | WH | WAB | S | Weak |
Christensen et al, 2013 [ ] | NoS | No | 13-month | Edu | Yes | FtF | 48 | 1 h | G | WH | ABS + WAB + PERF, PROD, PRES | Non-S | Weak |
Gram et al, 2012 [ ] | NoS | No | 12-week | PA | No | FtF | 12 | 12 min | Ind | WH | ABS + WAB | Non-S | Mod |
Jakobsen et al, 2015 [ ] | NoS | No | 10-week | Edu | No | FtF | 5 + PA | 30–45 min | G | WH | WAB | S | Mod |
Jørgensen et al, 2011 [ ] | NoS | No | 9-month | MC | No | FtF | 30 | 20 min + 2 h (3-month) + 1 h (6-month) | G | WH | ABS + WAB | Non-S | Mod |
Nurminen et al, 2002 [ ] | NoS | No | 8-month + 14-month | PA | No | FtF | 26 | 60 min | G + Ind | WH | ABS+ WAB | Non-S | Weak |
Sundstrup et al, 2014 [ ] | NoS | Yes | 10-week | PA | Yes | FtF | 30 | 10 min | G | WH | WAB | S | Mod |
Viester et al, 2015 [ ] | NoS | No | 4-month + 12-month | MC | No | FtF + Tel | 3 FtF + 6 tel | 60 min + 10–30 min (tel) | Ind | WH | ABS + WAB + PERF | Non-S | Weak |
ABS: absenteeism; Cou: counseling; Edu: education; S: significant; Sed: sedentary; Sed/NoS: differ among employees; FtF: face-to-face; G: group; Ind: individual; MC: multicomponent; Mod: moderate; NoS: non-sedentary; ns: non-specified; Non-S: non-significant; Org: organizational; Onl: online; PA: physical activity; PERF: performance; PROD: productivity; PRES: presenteeism; Out WH: outside work hours; Tel: telephone; WAB: work ability; WB: web-based; WH: work hours. In the “Type of job” column, the studies were categorized among Sed, NoS or Sed/NoS. It divided studies depending the type of workers included. Sed (sedentary work type activity employees): office employees; working teacher; researchers; health workers (dentistry). NoS (non-sedentary work type activity employees): health workers; construction workers; cleaning workers; laundromat woman; slaughterhouse workers.
Intervention characteristics of the RCTs included in the systematic review focus on reducing productivity (presenteeism and performance).
Ref | Population | Intervention Characteristics | Outcome | Results | Quality | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type of Job | Stratification | Duration Interv + Follow-up | Type | Homework | Communication Channel | of Sessions | Session Duration | Group or Individual | Time-Frame | ||||
Allexandre et al, 2016 [ ] | Sed | No | 8-week + 16-week | Edu | No | FtF + WB | 8 | 1 h | G | WH | PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Borness C, et al., 2013 [ ] | Sed | No | 16-week | Edu | No | Onl | 48 | 20 min | Ind | WH | PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Carr et al, 2016 [ ] | Sed | Yes | 16-week | MC | No | FtF + Onl | 1 FtF + 3 emails/week | 30 min | Ind | WH | PROD | Non-S | Mod |
Terry et al, 2011 [ ] | Sed | Yes | 18-month | Edu | No | FtF + Tel | 2 FtF + 11 tel or 1 FtF + 6 tel | ns | Ind | ns | PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Donath L, et al., 2014 [ ] | Sed | No | 12-week | Edu | No | Onl | 60 | 0 | Ind | WH | PERF | Non-S | Weak |
Umanodan et al, 2014 [ ] | Sed | No | 6-week | Cou | No | WB | 6 | 30 min | Ind | WH | PERF | Non-S | Mod |
Reijonsaari et al, 2012 [ ] | Sed | No | 14-month | Cou | No | Tel + Onl | ns | ns | Ind | WH | ABS + PROD | Non-S | Mod |
Van den Heuvel et al, 2003 [ ] | Sed | No | 8-week | Cou | No | Onl | 40 | Workday | Ind | WH | ABS + PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Ebert et al, 2016 [ ] | Sed | Yes | 7-week + 6-month | Edu | Yes | Onl | 7 | 45–60 min | Ind | ns | ABS+ PRES | S (ABS: Non-S, PRES: S) | Weak |
Imamura et al, 2015 [ ] | Sed | No | 6-week | Cou | Yes | Onl | 6 | 30 min | Ind | ns | ABS + PERF | Non-S | Mod |
Dalager et al, 2015 [ ] | Sed | No | 20-week | PA | No | FtF | 20 | 1 h | G | WH | WAB + PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Van Berkel et al, 2014 [ ] | Sed | No | 6-month + 12-month | Edu | Yes | FtF + Onl | 8 | 90 min | G | OutWH | WAB + PERF | Non-S | Mod |
Geraedts et al, 2014 [ ] | Sed/NoS | Yes | 8-week | Edu | Yes | Onl | 6 | ns | Ind | ns | PERF | Non-S | Weak |
Furukawa et al, 2012 [ ] | NoS | Yes | 4-month | Edu | Yes | Tel + Onl | 8 | 30–45 min | Ind | OutWH | PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Kimura et al, 2015 [ ] | NoS | No | 1-month | Edu | Yes | FtF + WB | 3 | 120 min | G | ns | PROD | S | Weak |
Palumbo et al, 2012 [ ] | NoS | No | 16-week | Edu | Yes | FtF | 5 workplace + 64 home | 45 min (work) + 10 min (home) | G + Ind | WH | PROD | S | Weak |
Takao et al, 2006 [ ] | NoS | No | 1-hour + 3-month | Edu | No | FtF | 2 | 60 min + 120 min practice | G | ns | PERF | S | Weak |
Tsutsumi et al, 2009 [ ] | NoS | No | 12-month | MC | No | FtF | 3 | ns | G | WH | PERF | S | Mod |
Morgan et al, 2012 [ ] | NoS | Yes | 3-month | MC | Yes | FtF + WB | 1 FtF + WB | 75 min | G | ns | ABS + PROD | S | Mod |
Strijk et al, 2013 [ ] | NoS | No | 6-month | MC | No | FtF | 48 + 3 coach visits | 45 min + 30 min (coach) | G + Ind | OutWH | ABS + PROD | Non-S | Weak |
Viester et al, 2015 [ ] | NoS | No | 4-month + 12-month | MC | No | FtF + Tel | 3 FtF + 6 tel | 60 min + 10–30 min (tel) | Ind | WH | ABS + WAB + PERF | Non-S | Weak |
Christensen et al, 2013 [ ] | NoS | No | 13-month | Edu | Yes | FtF | 48 | 1 h | G | WH | ABS + WAB + PERF, PROD, PRES | Non-S | Weak |
ABS: absenteeism; Cou: counseling; Edu: education; S: significant; Sed: sedentary; Sed/NoS: differ among employees; FtF: face-to-face; G: group; Ind: individual; MC: multicomponent; Mod: moderate; NoS: non-sedentary; ns: non-specified; Non-S: non-significant; Org: organizational; Onl: online; PA: physical activity; PERF: performance; PROD: productivity; PRES: presenteeism; Out WH: outside work hours; Tel: telephone; WAB: work ability; WB: web-based; WH: work hours. In the “Type of job” column, the studies were categorized among Sed, NoS or Sed/NoS. It divided studies depending the type of workers included. Sed (sedentary work type activity employees): collector (calling); white collar; office employees; health and airline workers; manufacturing workers; workers of safe company: insurance company workers; information technology; company employees; researchers. NoS (non-sedentary work type activity employees): workers of electric company; old nurses; workers of sake company; workers of electronic dispositive company; aluminum company; health workers; construction workers (blue collars). Sed/NoS (sedentary and non-sedentary work type activity employees): banking, research, security and university workers.
Of the 47 RCTs that implemented workplace interventions to improve productivity (employee productivity, performance, and presenteeism), work ability, and absenteeism, 37 were RCTs (8100 participants), and 10 were cluster RCTs (2,456 participants); together, the 47 RCT studies included 10,556 participants.
Most of the RCT studies were conducted in the Netherlands ( n = 10) [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], Denmark ( n = 9) [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], the United States ( n = 7) [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ], and Japan ( n = 5) [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], followed by Germany ( n = 2) [ 49 , 50 ], Finland ( n = 3) [ 51 , 52 , 53 ], and Australia ( n = 3) [ 9 , 54 , 55 ]. Other represented countries included Brazil ( n = 1) [ 56 ], Norway ( n = 1) [ 57 ], Poland ( n = 1) [ 58 ], Turkey ( n = 1) [ 59 ], South Africa ( n = 1) [ 60 ], Sweden ( n = 1) [ 61 ], and Switzerland ( n = 1) [ 62 ].
Of the 47 interventions, some focused on more than one outcome: 29 focused on improving absenteeism [ 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ], 22 focused on increasing employee productivity [ 9 , 20 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 55 , 62 ], and 11 were dedicated to work ability [ 25 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 50 , 61 ].
Work ability was not defined as a keyword in the search strategy, but after the data extraction, a high number of the studies were found to consider work ability; thus, its results were incorporated in the present systematic review.
Approximately half of the RCTs included in the systematic review, namely, 22 RCTs, focused on participants who worked in sedentary roles [ 9 , 18 , 21 , 22 , 25 , 26 , 30 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 56 , 59 , 61 , 62 ], such as office workers, administrators, or drivers, followed by 19 RCTs that focused on participants with non-sedentary jobs [ 23 , 24 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 54 , 55 , 57 , 60 ], such as health care workers, cleaning workers, etc.; five studies presented participants with sedentary and non-sedentary jobs [ 19 , 20 , 52 , 53 , 58 ]. Additionally, the subjects covered a large age range, from 18 to 67 years. In the majority of cases, the participants did not present any disease [ 9 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. However, some of the articles included participants only if they had a specific disease or health disorder, such as musculoskeletal disorders [ 28 , 36 , 51 , 53 , 59 ], depression [ 18 , 20 , 44 , 50 ], a high risk of sickness absence [ 19 , 21 , 24 ], being overweight [ 39 , 55 ], stress [ 49 ], and cardiovascular risk [ 43 ].
Five different types of interventions were identified. (1) Educational interventions ( n = 17) were the most commonly used [ 9 , 19 , 20 , 25 , 29 , 32 , 37 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 49 , 52 , 54 , 62 ], followed by (2) multicomponent interventions ( n = 11) [ 18 , 23 , 27 , 33 , 38 , 39 , 47 , 55 , 59 , 60 , 61 ], (3) counseling interventions ( n = 9) [ 21 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 35 , 40 , 48 , 50 , 58 ], (4) physical activity interventions ( n = 7) [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 36 , 56 , 57 ], and (5) organizational interventions (structural changes; n = 2) [ 51 , 53 ]. The duration of the interventions ranged from a one-time specific event to 36 months.
Of the 47 RCTs, 32 were non-significant and 14 were significant in improving one of the work-related outcomes. Five RCTs reduced absenteeism [ 21 , 24 , 54 , 56 , 58 ], three RCTs increased work ability [ 32 , 36 , 61 ], five RCTs increased employee productivity (productivity, performance, or presenteeism) [ 41 , 45 , 46 , 47 ], one RCT increased productivity and absenteeism [ 55 ], and one RCT reduced presenteeism but did not effectively improve absenteeism [ 49 ].
Of the 14 interventions with significant results, nine focused on employees with a non-sedentary job [ 24 , 32 , 36 , 41 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 54 , 55 ], whereas only four addressed sedentary employees [ 21 , 49 , 56 , 61 ]. In contrast, of the 33 non-significant studies, 18 included sedentary employees [ 9 , 18 , 22 , 25 , 26 , 30 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 59 , 62 ], while 10 included employees with a non-sedentary job [ 23 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 44 , 57 , 60 ], and 4 included both types of workers [ 19 , 20 , 52 , 53 ].
In 22 studies, the effects of interventions for absenteeism were measured by the days or hours in which each participant was not present at his or her work and was evaluated; six of them observed a statistically significant decrease in absenteeism [ 21 , 24 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 58 ].
If we focused on effective interventions to reduce absenteeism, a 3-month multicomponent cognitive-behavioral intervention was implemented for the employees of postal and telecom services with sickness absences [ 24 ] based on four to five individual consultations with the occupational practitioner and a minimum of three contacts with company management. This intervention reduced the percentage of employees with sickness absences who returned to work within three months. Specifically, the time to return to work was significantly shorter in the intervention group (IG) than in the control group (CG; IG: 78% vs. CG: 63%; p = 0.02), and this reduction pattern was repeated for the duration of sickness leaves in days (IG: 49 vs. CG: 70; p < 0.01) [ 24 ]. Another multicomponent intervention, namely, a 3-month intervention based on weight loss directed toward the overweight and obese employees of an aluminum company, comprised an individual education session, a website to report one’s weight each week, the submission of daily food and physical activity diaries, a handbook with weight loss recommendations, and financial incentives [ 55 ]. This multicomponent weight loss intervention resulted in a significant decrease in the hours of absenteeism in the IG (−3.1 h (95% confidence interval (CI) −7.1 to 0.9)) compared to the CG (5.1 h (95% CI 0.5 to 9.6) p = 0.01) [ 55 ].
Moreover, a counseling intervention with a 12-month follow-up directed toward employees at a high risk of long-term sickness absences was based on an individual 30-minute structured consultation with an occupational practitioner [ 21 ]. As a result, the IG showed statistically lower sickness absences (days), with a mean ± standard deviation (SD) of 17.36 ± 28.25 days, than the CG (31.13 ± 55.47 days), p = 0.03 [ 22 ]. Another counseling intervention comprised of an 8-week mindfulness intervention directed toward the middle managers of insurance companies, banks, and advertising agencies to reduce their stress was based on eight meditation group trainings, one mindfulness session per day, and an individual follow-up session per participant. Ultimately, this intervention per participant achieved a greater reduction in absenteeism in the IG than in the CG (F(1,140) = 67.3, p < 0.001) [ 58 ].
Furthermore, a 24-week physical activity program with a 12-month follow-up directed toward bus drivers was implemented by fitness professionals [ 56 ] based on 3 or 4 training sessions per week of endurance exercise in the gymnasium with free weights and endurance exercise machines. The rate of absenteeism (mean ± SD) was higher in the CG than in the IG immediately after the intervention ended (CG: 0.69 ± 1.03 and IG: 0.17 ± 0.33; p < 0.05) and in the 12-month follow-up period (CG: 0.50 ± 0.46 and IG: 0.24 ± 0.32; p < 0.05) [ 56 ].
Finally, a 2-month mental health education training intervention based on mental health knowledge and communication for firefighter managers and a 6-month follow-up of all firefighters was associated with an absolute percentage point change of 0.28 (29% relative to baseline) hours in the CG and a change of −0.28 (−18% relative to baseline) hours in the IG ( p = 0.049) [ 54 ].
Of the six significantly effective studies in the reduction of absenteeism, three stratified the target population either into employees at a high risk of sickness absences [ 21 , 24 ] or into overweight or obese employees [ 55 ]. In contrast, of the 22 non-significant studies related to the reduction of absenteeism, only eight stratified the population into employees with musculoskeletal disorders [ 28 , 51 , 53 , 59 ], employees with a high risk of sickness absences [ 19 ], stressed employees [ 49 ], and employees with depression [ 18 , 50 ]. Furthermore, the significant interventions presented 10 sessions as a maximum, whereas among the non-significant interventions, nine presented more than 10 sessions.
Eleven studies measured the effects of interventions for work ability parameters [ 25 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 50 , 61 ], nine of these assessed work ability by using the Workability Index Score (WAI), and only two used other questionnaires. High values of the WAI indicate a higher work ability. Three of the eleven studies reported significant results in the improvement of work ability [ 32 , 36 , 61 ].
One of the effective interventions was a 12-month multicomponent intervention applied to dentistry employees focused on 2 IGs and 1 CG [ 61 ]. One of the interventions was based on a mandatory 2 days/week of physical activity for employees inside of work hours, which did not show any improvement compared to the CG. The second intervention was based on the reduction of working hours from 40 h/week to 37.5 h/week, which improved the WAI values over the CG from 7.89 ± 1.94 to 8.09 ± 1.52 ( p = 0.01). The CG did not receive any intervention [ 61 ].
One additional intervention that significantly improved work ability was based on a 10-week physical activity program applied to slaughterhouse workers with upper-limb chronic pain and work disabilities and included three sessions/week of 10 min of strength exercises for the shoulder, arm and hand muscles during work hours [ 36 ]. The IG showed an increase of 2.3 points in the WAI index (95% CI 0.9–3.7) compared to the CG ( p < 0.05), which did not receive any intervention [ 36 ]. Another 10-week physical activity intervention applied to health care workers compared an IG who performed physical activity at work (5 × 10 min/week during work hours + 5 group-based physical activity motivational sessions) with a CG that performed physical exercises at home (5 × 10 min/week during leisure time) [ 32 ]. This intervention observed a significant improvement in the mean WAI index (95% CI) of 0.2 (−0.4, 0.9) points in the IG compared to a reduction of −0.9 (−1.6, −0.2) in the CG, which achieved a significant difference of 1.1 (0.3, 1.8) between the groups, p = 0.03 [ 32 ].
Of the three significantly effective interventions for work ability, two had a unique primary outcome [ 32 , 36 ]. However, the other non-significant interventions had another variable [ 25 , 29 , 33 , 34 , 50 ] or a large list of variables that included work ability as the primary outcome [ 27 , 30 , 31 ].
The effects on productivity, performance, and presenteeism parameters were assessed with different tools, which make it difficult to compare the results. However, we included these three outcomes together because of the similarities among them and because productivity encompasses both performance and presenteeism.
The effects on performance, productivity, and presenteeism were evaluated in 22 studies that treated productivity as a unique variable [ 9 , 20 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 55 , 62 ], and six of these studies observed a statistically significant improvement in productivity (productivity, performance, or presenteeism) [ 41 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 49 , 55 ].
A 3-month multicomponent weight loss intervention directed toward overweight and obese employees at an aluminum company (explained above in the absenteeism results) [ 55 ] significantly improved productivity as assessed by the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) when comparing the IG with the CG, −1.0 (−2.0 to 0.0) vs. 1.0 (−0.2 to 2.1), respectively, p = 0.01 [ 55 ]. Another 12-month multicomponent intervention that was directed toward all workers at an electronic dispositive company was based on three workshops to train leaders about stress, the work environment and organizational concepts, and from this, the participants developed action plans to improve their work environment [ 47 ]. Productivity was evaluated by the Health and Work Performance (HWP) questionnaire. Increased productivity in the IG compared to the CG was reported, with changes in HWP means of (±SD) 65.1 (±12.3) to 67.3 (±10.3) vs. 66.9 (±7.9) to 63.8 (±9.3), respectively ( p = 0.048) [ 47 ].
A 16-week pilot intervention that focused on a tai chi intervention for nurses during work hours achieved a significant reduction in the WLQ score between the IGs (−3.1; ±1.2) and CGs (−0.8; ±1.4), p = 0.03 [ 41 ]. Additionally, a 7-week self-guided internet- and mobile-based stress intervention was applied to employees with perceived stress at an insurance company. Although it did not achieve significant effects for absenteeism, it achieved significant improvements in presenteeism (assessed as the number of “work cut back” days, which is reduced efficiency at work while feeling ill) with the Trimbos and Institute of Medical Technology Assessment Cost Questionnaire for Psychiatry (TiC–P-G) at a 6-month follow-up (but not at 7 weeks), and it reported a decrease in the IG compared to the CG of −3.3 (−4.6 to −2.0), p < 0.01 [ 49 ].
A 1-month educational intervention program directed toward the workers of an electric company was based on three group sessions (120 min/each) of cognitive-behavioral methods to improve performance and web-based exercises as homework [ 45 ]. Performance, as assessed by the HWP questionnaire, was increased in the IG compared to the CG (1.47 points (±0.30) vs. 0.69 points (±0.21), respectively; p = 0.04) [ 45 ]. Finally, another education program with a 3-month follow-up directed toward employees of a sake company was based on a 60-min lecture and 120-min practice session on the role of consultation and active listening [ 46 ]. Job performance assessed by the HWP questionnaire increased in the IG compared to the CG (F = 5.40, p = 0.029) [ 46 ].
An initial analysis of the quality of the included studies showed that most of the studies had weak quality (≥2 weak category ratings; 28 of 47 total studies) [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 49 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 61 , 62 ], and the other studies presented moderate quality (18 of 47 studies) [ 18 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 40 , 42 , 47 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 55 , 60 ]. The most common quality flaw was blinding, which was not adequately performed in any of the studies. Selection bias, confounders, withdrawals, and dropouts were commonly avoided. Since most of the studies included in this systematic review had weak quality, the meta-analysis was performed by dividing the studies according to their quality (moderate or weak quality) to strengthen the generalization of the results obtained.
After the systematic review was conducted, 19 of the 47 RCTs were selected for the meta-analysis [ 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 27 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 57 , 58 , 61 ]. Considering the quality of the 11 RCTs with absenteeism data that were included in the meta-analysis, five RCTs were of moderate quality [ 18 , 22 , 31 , 40 , 50 ] and six RCTs were of weak quality [ 21 , 27 , 29 , 49 , 57 , 58 ]. Additionally, for the seven RCTs with productivity data, three RCTs were of moderate quality [ 40 , 47 , 48 ] and four RCTs were of weak quality [ 20 , 23 , 27 , 46 ]. In addition, of the five RCTs that included work ability data, two RCTs were of moderate quality [ 32 , 33 ] and three RCTs were of weak quality [ 27 , 29 , 61 ]. Overall, nine moderate quality RCTs were included in the meta-analysis [ 18 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 47 , 50 , 63 ].
In the analysis of the effect size for absenteeism, of the 22 studies included in the systematic review, 11 were excluded for not incorporating absenteeism data (sickness absences in days) or the mean or SD values were missing. Thus, only 11 RCT publications that reported absenteeism data were included in the meta-analysis, including 2,195 participants in total [ 18 , 22 , 31 , 40 , 50 ]. Considering only the five moderate quality RCTs with absenteeism data, an effect size reduction of −2.65 days of sickness absences was observed (95% CI, −4.49 to −0.81; p < 0.001; Figure 2 ), which was confirmed in the six weak quality RCTs. However, both forest plots showed high heterogeneity (I 2 statistic = 98%).
Forest plot of the effectiveness of workplace interventions for absenteeism reduction according to the quality of the studies.
Moreover, the RCTs were divided based on the methodological design of the intervention, such as face-to-face vs. virtual interventions, <10 sessions or ≥10 sessions per intervention, group vs. individual sessions and the type of intervention (counseling vs. non-counseling that included multicomponent interventions, physical activity and educational interventions). Nevertheless, high heterogeneity was observed in all cases (I 2 statistic ≥ 97% depending on the methodological design).
Face-to-face interventions were not effective for improving absenteeism, regardless of whether only moderate quality studies (absenteeism SD, −3.20; 95% CI, −9.87 to 3.47; p = 0.35) or moderate and weak quality studies were considered. However, virtual interventions were shown to be effective when considering moderate and weak quality studies together (absenteeism SD, −1.45; 95% CI, −2.40 to −0.50; p = 0.003). Nevertheless, when the weak quality studies were excluded from the meta-analysis, these interventions were not effective, although there was a trend (absenteeism SD, −1.72; 95% CI, −3.73 to −0.29; p = 0.09) ( Figure 3 ).
Forest plot of the effectiveness of face-to-face and virtual workplace interventions for reducing absenteeism according to the quality of the studies.
On the other hand, considering the number of workplace intervention sessions, in the moderate quality studies, <10 intervention sessions demonstrated effectiveness (absenteeism SD, −3.99; 95% CI, −6.33 to −1.65; p < 0.001), and this result was confirmed after considering the weak quality studies ( Figure 4 ).
Forest plot for the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing absenteeism according to the number of intervention sessions and the quality of the studies.
Furthermore, comparing the group session and individual session interventions, individualized interventions were reported to be effective (absenteeism SD, −2.09; 95% CI, −3.06 to −1.13; p < 0.001), and this result was confirmed by considering the weak quality studies ( Figure 5 ).
Forest plot of the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing absenteeism when considering whether the intervention included group or individual sessions and according to the quality of the studies.
Moreover, when comparing the interventions based on the counseling and non-counseling interventions, counseling interventions were found to be effective for reducing absenteeism (absenteeism SD, −3.07; 95% CI, −4.69 to −1.45; p < 0.001; Figure 6 ); but this result was not confirmed by the weak quality studies.
Forest plot of the effectiveness of counseling and non-counseling (multicomponent, physical activity and educational interventions) interventions for reducing absenteeism according to the quality of the studies.
In the analysis of the productivity effect size, of the 22 studies in the systematic review that included productivity data, 15 RCTs were excluded for either not incorporating productivity data using the HPQ questionnaire and the mean or SD values were missing. Thus, only seven RCTs that reported productivity data were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 2,413 participants in total [ 20 , 23 , 27 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Considering only the three moderate quality RCTs with productivity data, there was a significant improvement in the productivity of employees, according to the effect size (0.33; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.59; p = 0.01; Figure 7 ). However, this result was not confirmed by including the weak quality studies. Additionally, high heterogeneity was observed (I 2 statistic = 98%).
Forest plots of the effectiveness of workplace interventions for improving employees’ productivity according to the quality of the studies.
In the analysis of the effect size for work ability, of the 11 studies included in the systematic review, six were excluded for either not incorporating work ability data using the WAI index or the mean or SD values were missing. RCTs that used the entire WAI index or one of the items (item 1: current work ability compared to lifetime best, scored as 0 (completely unable to work) to 10 (work ability is at its best)) that appeared to be representative of the entire WAI index were incorporated in the meta-analysis. Thus, only five RCTs that reported work ability data were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 895 participants in total [ 27 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 64 ]. Considering only the two moderate quality RCTs with productivity data, there was a non-significant improvement of 0.48 in the effect size (95% CI, −0.47 to 1.43; p = 0.32) for employees’ work ability ( Figure 8 ). However, this result was not confirmed when the weak quality studies were considered. Further, high heterogeneity was observed (I 2 statistic = 98%).
Forest plot of the effectiveness of workplace interventions for improving employees’ work ability according to the quality of the studies.
Due to the low number of RCTs on productivity and work ability outcomes, the effect of the methodological design of the interventions could not be determined.
This systematic review included 47 RCTs on workplace interventions, and 14 of these effectively improved one or more work-related outcomes. Specifically, six RCTs observed a decrease in absenteeism [ 21 , 24 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 58 ], three detected an improvement in work ability [ 32 , 36 , 61 ] and six noted an increase in employee productivity [ 41 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 49 , 55 ]. Focusing on the results of the meta-analysis of 19 RCTs [ 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 27 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 57 , 58 , 61 ], including 11 RCTs regarding absenteeism [ 18 , 21 , 22 , 27 , 29 , 31 , 40 , 49 , 50 , 57 , 58 ], 7 RCTs on productivity [ 20 , 23 , 27 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], and 5 RCTs concerning work ability [ 27 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 61 ], more than half of the studies were of weak quality.
For this reason, we considered only the moderate quality RCT studies in the meta-analysis, and the workplace interventions that focused on reducing absenteeism were effective. Consequently, the workplace interventions effective for reducing absenteeism included the following methodological considerations: (a) counseling intervention design, (b) less than 10 sessions spread out across a maximum of 9 months, and (c) directed toward individuals instead of groups. However, the effectiveness of interventions focused on increasing employees’ work ability and productivity were ambiguous.
The interest in reducing absenteeism comes from the economic impact on governments and the company’s budget [ 65 ]. Although there is not a clear consensus about the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing absenteeism, the present meta-analysis contributes to increasing the evidence for designing and implementing effective interventions for reducing absenteeism. However, a systematic review published in 2013 about active workplace interventions to reduce sickness absences, which defined interventions as when the subject has an active role and when the goal is a behavioral change, concluded that the evidence available did not support active workplace interventions to reduce sickness absences [ 66 ]. Instead, another systematic review published in 2009 about the effectiveness of workplace interventions on work-related outcomes and health outcomes (musculoskeletal disorders, mental health problems, or other health conditions) concluded that for the musculoskeletal disorders subgroup, workplace interventions are effective in reducing sickness absences [ 67 ]. Finally, another systematic review published in 2004 concluded that the comprehensive treatment of low back pain via interventions had an effect on absenteeism, costs, and the prevention of new episodes of low back pain [ 68 ]. Thus, to our knowledge, the present meta-analysis is the first to provide data about of the effectiveness of RCTs developed at the workplace to reduce absenteeism. Interesting strategies to consider in the design of the interventions can be drawn from the current meta-analysis, because the most effective interventions focused on reducing absenteeism incorporated counseling and were based on individualized sessions of less than 10 sessions in total. Particularly, counseling interventions, which enable individuals to evaluate behavioral choices [ 69 ], can be defined as coaching, advising, mentoring, or motivational interviewing [ 70 ]. These types of interventions have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing smoking and a tendency to increase physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [ 71 ]. Another important characteristic of effective absenteeism reduction interventions was the individualization of the interventions instead of group sessions, a typical characteristic of counseling interventions.
Moreover, although virtual interventions presented ambiguous results depending on whether only the moderate quality RCTs or both the moderate and weak quality RCTs were included, online interventions could be a promising strategy due to their increasing use for health-related issues [ 72 ]. Online or virtual interventions, instead of face-to-face interventions, present some advantages such as a reduced time and convenient location, the potential to access a larger target group, the anonymity of the participants, and reduced stigma depending on the focus on the project [ 73 ]. Web-based interventions have demonstrated benefits compared to face-to-face interventions in terms of improved knowledge or behavioral changes [ 73 ].
Regarding work ability, the present meta-analysis concluded that workplace interventions showed a non-significant increase of 0.54 (95% CI 0.03, 1.04), or 0.48 (95% CI −0.47, 1.43) when considering only the moderate quality RCTs. Similarly, our results are quite consistent with another recently published meta-analysis, which concluded that workplace interventions improve work ability by an increase of 0.12 (95% CI 0.03, 0.21) [ 13 ]. This meta-analysis showed a significant improvement, but the magnitude of the increase was smaller (0.12) than that obtained in the present meta-analysis (0.54). However, compared to the present systematic review that only focused on workplace interventions, the other systematic review has also incorporated interventions where only a component of the intervention occurs in the workplace, concluding that further RCT quality evidence is needed to arrive at a clear conclusion [ 13 ]. Considering that a decline in work ability with age is expected, with decreases of 0.5–0.7 points per year [ 74 ], an increase in work ability, independent of age, could be considered to be a gain. Furthermore, work ability is expected to decrease more in people with a non-sedentary profile such as installation and auxiliary workers, which requires a higher level of physical effort [ 74 ]. In addition, it is important to remark that in the studies incorporated in the present systematic review that demonstrated an increase in work ability, the success rate was even better in the employees who were categorized as non-sedentary. Therefore, specific and well-designed interventions are needed to improve the work ability of employees.
The 19 RCTs included in the meta-analysis of work-related outcomes were of weak or moderate quality, thus, future high-quality RCTs should be implemented to strengthen the results. Considering the tool used to categorize the quality of the included studies, any of them could be of strong quality. Of the eight items assessed, blinding was lacking or not reported in most of the studies, except one RCT, which reported single blinding [ 26 ]. Blinding in workplace interventions is extremely difficult [ 75 ] because most workplace interventions are social or behavioral interventions, where the employees are aware of the changes in their environment and in most cases, complete some self-report questionnaires [ 76 , 77 ]. Weak quality based on one item such as blinding means that the total score would not indicate strong quality. For this reason, all of the studies were, at maximum, of moderate quality. However, we decided not to exclude blinding at the risk of a biased questionnaire to assure transparency of the results described in the meta-analysis. However, the study design, i.e., RCT, was one of the inclusion criteria of the present meta-analysis and is also one aspect that makes the included studies strong.
Another aspect to consider in worksite interventions is employees’ socioeconomic factors, which can act as a confounder because employees of low socioeconomic status often perform high amounts of occupational physical activity [ 78 ]. However, which workplace interventions are effective for improving the work-related outcomes of employees with sedentary jobs is unknown.
Focusing on employee productivity outcomes, the current meta-analysis could not confirm the effectiveness of workplace interventions to increase employee productivity. The RCTs that provided health education training to intermediate managers achieved increased performance [ 46 , 47 ]. These results are in accordance with the RCTs aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles in school-based interventions, where adolescent leaders train close peers and achieve effective improvement in their healthy lifestyles [ 79 ]. Such peer-led methodologies are considered education between peers or close individuals with similar interests [ 80 ]. However, the two interventions included in the present review did not use a real peer-led methodology because only managers were trained [ 46 , 47 ], and for peer-led methodologies, a closer peer of the workers needed to be trained by leaders to drive beneficial changes. Furthermore, increases in employee productivity because of workplace interventions can be influenced by cultural factors. For example, three of the six RCTs that presented effective interventions for employee productivity outcomes were implemented in Japan, which suggests that the Japanese culture is an interacting factor because Japanese workers spend many hours working, are very obedient, and even work excessively [ 81 , 82 ].
There are limitations to the present meta-analysis. First, a remarkable methodological feature is the lack of information about other aspects of the workplace intervention methodologies. For example, information regarding whether the intervention was implemented during work hours or non-work hours was not provided in most of the RCTs. Moreover, there were no tools for assessing the principal outcomes and characteristics of the interventions, such as detailed descriptions of the intervention, if the intervention involved any homework, the duration of the sessions, if the intervention was face-to-face or online, if there was a person in charge of implementing the intervention, and other factors. We considered the mentioned methodological features to be interesting points for future recommendations for workplace interventions, while more quality studies are needed. Several of the RCTs included in this review had methodological problems (i.e., small sample sizes, an inadequate description of the interventions, weak quality, and other considerations). In addition, most of the studies had a short follow-up, which could represent a limitation because the long-term impact of these interventions on work-related outcomes and their sustainability are still unknown. On the other hand, the inclusion of workplace health risks and the type of instrument to monitor the health risks was lacking for many of the interventions included in the present systematic review (46 of the 47 RCTs included); this information should be included when determining the quality of publications about workplace interventions. Only one of the RCTs included in the present systematic review assessed health risks [ 43 ] using the Personal Wellness Profile [ 83 ]. However, 13 of the 47 articles included in the systematic review assessed psychological factors such as stress before and after the intervention with the aim of improving the management of stress in the workplace to improve work-related outcomes such as absenteeism, productivity, or work ability [ 9 , 19 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 55 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 ]. Psychological factors are important aspects to consider in workplace interventions because in 2015, 40% of the workers assessed in the National Health Service survey described feeling unwell due to stress, which was associated with an increase in absenteeism [ 84 ]. Future RCTs should abide to the following CONSORT criteria [ 85 ]: an adequate sample size, accurate descriptions of the intervention, the use of validated tools to evaluate the target group, and specific information about the target group of workers and the company. Second, the use of non-validated tools to assess the outcomes and the use of different tools to assess the same variable make the comparisons among studies difficult and do not allow for a meta-analysis. Third, some of the work-related outcomes were assessed by tools not designed to assess a specific outcome, i.e., productivity was assessed by a performance questionnaire. Fourth, all the analyses in the meta-analysis showed high heterogeneity, which is a limitation of the current study. Finally, although the study quality was not an inclusion criterion, the weakness of the majority of the included studies presents problems for the generalization of the results of this systematic review, which is the reason why we separated the results according to the quality of the studies.
In view of the results obtained in this meta-analysis, three RCTs described workplace interventions that were effective for reducing absenteeism, were of moderate quality, and incorporated methodological design considerations such as individualized and counseling interventions and <10 sessions/total, and all these parameters were considered important for improving the effectiveness of workplace interventions focused on absenteeism reduction [ 22 , 40 , 50 ]. Consequently, reproducing RCTs focused on absenteeism reduction using the highlighted methodological considerations [ 22 , 40 , 50 ] could further confirm the effectiveness of these types of interventions in the workplace. Moreover, these methodological considerations could be a tool for companies that need to reduce the absenteeism of their employees.
The present meta-analysis of RCT studies supported the workplace as an interesting environment to reduce absenteeism and determines some effective methodological characteristics for the interventions aimed to reduce absenteeism. Specifically, multi-component and counseling interventions, with virtual and individualized interventions and <10 sessions/total were the most effective methodologies to reduce absenteeism. In contrast, in productivity and work ability, few studies were included to specify the methodological considerations. Future high-quality RCTs that also consider health risks should be implemented to strengthen the results.
This study was supported by Activa Mutua. We would like to express our gratitude to the staff of this working health insurance company. Gemma Ulldemolins, M.D., is the Medical Director of Activa Mutua, and Pedro Hermoso, M.D., is the manager of the absenteeism department.
The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1901/s1 , File S1: Supplementary File 1—PRISMA 2009 checklist, File S2: Supplementary File 2—Characteristics of interventions included in this systematic and meta-analysis review.
Conceptualization, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S.; methodology, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S.; formal analysis,, E.L. and L.T.; investigation, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S.; writing—original draft preparation, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S.; writing—review and editing, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S.; visualization, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S.; supervision, E.L., L.T., G.U., P.H. and R.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
This research received no external funding.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Missing in action: perspectives on employee absenteeism in the south african police service, exploring mediating role of employee stress: the relationship of work overload, work conflict and role ambiguity with absenteeism, a study on labour welfare measures towards managing absenteeism in sri vishnu shankar mill limited, rajapalayam, absenteeism among staff of a state specialist hospital in nigeria.
The relationship between organisational health and teachers’ absenteeism in schools” a case study in a private school in amman, jordan, the effect of job satisfaction and absenteeism on teacher work productivity, analysis of measured employees’ absenteeism in the forensic science laboratory, impact of work environment and work stressing on the job satisfaction of medical record officers, examining the impact of absenteeism at a south african police service academy, 95 references, abhinav national monthly refereed journal of research in commerce & management impact of absenteeism and labour turnover on organisational performance at iti, nani, allahabad, india, preventing absenteeism at the workplace : a european portfolio of case studies, determinants of absenteeism in public organizations: a unit-level analysis of work absence in a large danish municipality, absenteeism in the nordic countries, the management of absence: why it matters: an analysis of absence management issues, with a case study based in a uk academic library, coming back soon: assessing the determinants of absenteeism in the public sector, the development of best practice guidelines for the contingency management of health-related absenteeism in the motor manufacturing industry.
The relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism in a selected field services section within an electricity utility in the western cape, the impact of hospital management reforms on absenteeism in costa rica., related papers.
Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers
We conducted a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed articles and other relevant publications on absenteeism and presenteeism. First, we outline the main features of absenteeism and presenteeism that would be most important to understanding their role in transitions to SSDI. Then, we discuss the current state of the literature on each of these factors. We follow this with a synthesis of common themes that arise across the multiple sub-topics we analyze, and assess remaining gaps in the literature that would benefit from future research. Several common themes emerge. First, the baseline rate of absenteeism and presenteeism for healthy workers is fairly low. Presenteeism in the workplace tends to be more prevalent than absenteeism and could be more costly to the employer. Second, mental health conditions are particularly predictive of higher rates of both absenteeism and presenteeism. Third, absenteeism and presenteeism rates and patterns vary significantly across various health conditions and worker characteristics. And finally, benefit programs have a significant impact both on individuals’ propensity to be absent, and on the duration of their absences.
This research was supported by the U.S. Social Security Administration through DRC grant #1 DRC12000002-05 to the National Bureau of Economic Research as part of the SSA Disability Research Consortium. The findings and conclusions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of SSA, any agency of the Federal Government, or the NBER.
In addition to working papers , the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals — the NBER Reporter , the NBER Digest , the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability , the Bulletin on Health , and the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship — as well as online conference reports , video lectures , and interviews .
Discover the world's research
The use of artificial intelligence in the EU will be regulated by the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law. Find out how it will protect you.
As part of its digital strategy , the EU wants to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure better conditions for the development and use of this innovative technology. AI can create many benefits , such as better healthcare; safer and cleaner transport; more efficient manufacturing; and cheaper and more sustainable energy.
In April 2021, the European Commission proposed the first EU regulatory framework for AI. It says that AI systems that can be used in different applications are analysed and classified according to the risk they pose to users. The different risk levels will mean more or less regulation.
Learn more about what artificial intelligence is and how it is used
Parliament's priority is to make sure that AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly. AI systems should be overseen by people, rather than by automation, to prevent harmful outcomes.
Parliament also wants to establish a technology-neutral, uniform definition for AI that could be applied to future AI systems.
Learn more about Parliament’s work on AI and its vision for AI’s future
The new rules establish obligations for providers and users depending on the level of risk from artificial intelligence. While many AI systems pose minimal risk, they need to be assessed.
Unacceptable risk AI systems are systems considered a threat to people and will be banned. They include:
Some exceptions may be allowed for law enforcement purposes. “Real-time” remote biometric identification systems will be allowed in a limited number of serious cases, while “post” remote biometric identification systems, where identification occurs after a significant delay, will be allowed to prosecute serious crimes and only after court approval.
AI systems that negatively affect safety or fundamental rights will be considered high risk and will be divided into two categories:
1) AI systems that are used in products falling under the EU’s product safety legislation . This includes toys, aviation, cars, medical devices and lifts.
2) AI systems falling into specific areas that will have to be registered in an EU database:
All high-risk AI systems will be assessed before being put on the market and also throughout their lifecycle. People will have the right to file complaints about AI systems to designated national authorities.
Generative AI, like ChatGPT, will not be classified as high-risk, but will have to comply with transparency requirements and EU copyright law:
High-impact general-purpose AI models that might pose systemic risk, such as the more advanced AI model GPT-4, would have to undergo thorough evaluations and any serious incidents would have to be reported to the European Commission.
Content that is either generated or modified with the help of AI - images, audio or video files (for example deepfakes) - need to be clearly labelled as AI generated so that users are aware when they come across such content.
The law aims to offer start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises opportunities to develop and train AI models before their release to the general public.
That is why it requires that national authorities provide companies with a testing environment that simulates conditions close to the real world.
The Parliament adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act in March 2024 . It will be fully applicable 24 months after entry into force, but some parts will be applicable sooner:
High-risk systems will have more time to comply with the requirements as the obligations concerning them will become applicable 36 months after the entry into force.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
RESULTS: It was reported that 24 (15.8%) of all employees were absent from work in the last month (absenteeism), excluding holidays and sick leave, and that 20 (13.2%) employees engaged in ...
remaining gaps in the literature that would benefit from future research. Several common themes emerge. First, the baseline rate of absenteeism and presenteeism for healthy workers is fairly low. Presenteeism in the workplace tends to be more prevalent than absenteeism and could be more costly to the employer.
line 2: Department of Management. Studies. line 3: AJK College of Arts and Science. line 4: Coimbatore, India. line 5: [email protected]. Abstract —Absenteeism is considered as one of ...
This paper discusses and compiles many of the causes of absenteeism that is scattered in the literature. Our research also compiles specific suggestions for reducing absenteeism due to a variety of causes. The paper focuses on application of theory and industry experience rather than developing or expanding theory. 3. Preventing Workplace ...
excessive absences can equate to decreased productivity and can have a m ajor effect on. company finances, morale, and other factors. These exces sive unscheduled absences cost. employers roughly ...
may ultimately deteriorate to work departure and SSDI enrollment. Worker absenteeism is a strong early indicator of how health affects work. This paper reviews past research on these effects, their relationship to paid leave and early intervention policies, and their potential role in predicting more permanent work departure and SSDI enrollment. K
NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH • 1050 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • CAMBRIDGE, MA • 02138 • (617) 868-3900 www.nber.org DISABILITY RESEARCH CENTER SEPTEMBER 2017 Worker Absenteeism and Employment Outcomes: A Literature Review KATHLEEN MULLEN AND STEPHANIE RENNANE Key Findings and Policy Implications This paper is a comprehensive literature review on worker absenteeism, including days ...
Absenteeism is defined as a failure to report and stay at work as programmed, in spite of any cause (Cascio W, 2010). In relation to Human Resources management absenteeism is the proportion of work days missing through member of staff illness or absence in the place of work (Boxall, Purcell, & Wright, 2007).
1. Introduction. Workplace interventions have emerged as a set of comprehensive health promotion and occupational health strategies implemented at the worksite to improve work-related outcomes [] including improving productivity defined as fruitful working hours and performance [].Work-related outcomes are captured by different variables that reflect the employability of workers, with the most ...
Abstract Strategies for Reducing Employee Absenteeism for a Sustainable Future: A Bermuda Perspective by Allison N. S. Forte. MSc, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, 2007 BSc, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, 2004. Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of ...
absenteeism) V. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design:- The study is mainly a descriptive research designed to know the reason for emotional intelligence for employees at workplace. The research is a descriptive study in nature as it studies the opinions of the employees. Source of Data Collection:-
Employee absenteeism remains a thorny issue within organisations worldwide. Numerous research initiatives have been undertaken over the past decade with the aim of understanding the phenomenon. This research has as its aim to investigate the predictability of work-related attitudes on employee absenteeism.
In the increasingly competitive and challenging environment within which organisations operate today, absenteeism is a complex issue. Resulting from absenteeism, businesses are faced with impeded productivity, inefficient service delivery, and reduced performance, thereby negatively affecting sustainability. Absenteeism is, therefore, a significant concern in the field of human resource ...
measuring absenteeism are based on total work time lost due to absenteeism and the frequency of absence, respectively. The time lost method expresses the percentage of contracted working time available (in days or hours) that has been lost due to absence (Nel et al. 2001). The
Abstract. This research aims to identify and analyze the frequency of the researched determinants and outcomes of absenteeism and thus create an extensive pool of knowledge that can be used for ...
to employee absenteeism, as well as describing the hotel employers' perceptions of employee absenteeism. A quantitative research approach was followed in this study. A survey questionnaire was developed in order to collect data from 13 establishments, with a 3-star to 5-star grading, in the Gauteng Province. The findings reveal
Program 6: Loyalty. Firms can exploit workers' commitment and loyalty to the organization to reduce absenteeism. Worker morale dampens the effect that adverse changes in the cost to workers of performing paid work activities has on their absences. Hence, a program that improves worker morale could reduce absenteeism.
Several common themes emerge. First, the baseline rate of absenteeism and presenteeism for healthy workers is fairly low. Presenteeism in the workplace tends to be more prevalent than absenteeism and could be more costly to the employer. Second, mental health conditions are particularly predictive of higher rates of both absenteeism and ...
After reviewing literature on absenteeism, the PI, who is also one of the school counselors, decided to administer a dual method approach to combat the problem of absenteeism. The Check and Connect model and incentives were two promising methods used in similar school settings to decrease student absences. Elementary school is the
have successfully used to reduce absenteeism and the impact of these strategies on attendance levels of female employees. Research Question . What strategies do hospital leaders use to reduce absenteeism amongst female employees? Interview Questions . 1. What strategies have you used to reduce employee absenteeism amongst female employees?
Research Proposal - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. This research proposal aims to study the impact of employee absenteeism on organizational performance in a manufacturing industry. The study will examine absenteeism rates and reasons for absenteeism among workers. A survey will be administered to 150 employees to understand their attitudes towards ...
managers is the key to managing workplace absenteeism through well-structured interventions. According to Grobler (2010), line managers lack training for dealing with absenteeism. He went on further to suggest that, in dealing with absenteeism, one needs to consider ... her research on the impact of absenteeism, Pierce (2009) noted that poor ...
Time after time, the Gallup Q 12® items have proven to be the most effective survey questions for measuring employee engagement. Collectively, they indicate the level of employee engagement at ...
Abstract. 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 ...
Download the State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Key Insights or Full Report. After filling out this form, you will have the option to download the Key Insights of our analysis or the Full Report ...
The Parliament adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act in March 2024. It will be fully applicable 24 months after entry into force, but some parts will be applicable sooner: The ban of AI systems posing unacceptable risks will apply six months after the entry into force. Codes of practice will apply nine months after entry into force.