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Exploring the effectiveness of common absence management strategies in the context of any possible increase in absenteeism or presenteeism they may create: A Delphi study of Irish private sector companies

Donnelly, Damien (2015) Exploring the effectiveness of common absence management strategies in the context of any possible increase in absenteeism or presenteeism they may create: A Delphi study of Irish private sector companies. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the opinions of Human Resource Management (HRM) professionals on the effectiveness of some common absence management strategies in the context of any possible increase in absenteeism or presenteeism they may create. The key question this research explores is whether the advantage to a company brought about by the overall reduction in absenteeism that such strategies may bring outweigh any possible disadvantages of potential increases to absenteeism and/or the presenteeism that may be associated with them. This research also explores future challenges HRM professionals may face in terms of managing absenteeism and presenteeism and how these challenges may be met. The literature highlights the importance of managing absenteeism and presenteeism, the relationship between these concepts and how this is an under researched area of HRM. A panel of nine HRM professionals working in Irish private sector organisations were presented with a series of questionnaires upon which they offered their opinions. The researcher used a modified, mixed-method Delphi Study to carry out the research. The study shows that the benefits to employers of providing flexible working conditions, wellness programmes, employee assistance programmes (EAP’s) and return to work interviews outweighs any possible disadvantages of potential increases to absenteeism and/or the presenteeism that may be associated with them. With regards to return to work programmes, rewarding low rates of pay and limiting salaries for employees on sick leave the research group neither agreed nor disagreed that their advantages outweighed their disadvantages. The research identified an aging workforce and increasingly atypical forms of employment as being the biggest future challenges facing HRM professionals in this area.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Absence Management
Divisions: School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User: Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited: 10 Oct 2015 13:13
Last Modified: 27 Jan 2020 15:00
URI: https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/2029

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