Project to Investigate the High Number of Staff Absences in the Production Department
An organization with a high number of staff absences in the production department is prone to fail to achieve significant profits. This is because the production unit is the main department of an organization that significantly needs a lot of workforces for everything to work in the long run. A production department in an organization will only do better when all staff members are present because it allows for the joint effort, which yields more results than where the people are not strongly united in doing the work (Andrews et al. 65). This project seeks to investigate the cause of this high number of staff absences so that proper solutions can be derived to curb this problem.
Aim of the Project
1.Reducing the Number of Staff Absences
The objective of this project is to investigate the number of the high number of staff absences in the production unit and look for practical solutions to reduce this increasing problem.
Scope
1.Research into the factors that affect the morale of employees to come to work
- An investigation into the relationship between staff absences and productivity
Objectives
- To investigate what causes a high number of absences in the production unit
- To investigate means and ways to reduce the problem of the high number of absences
Justification of the Topic of Investigation and its aims, Scope and Objectives
Staff absences is a very critical issue in any organization because they are the one involved in the actual production of the goods. This project aims at reducing the number of absentees since this is the main problem affecting the organization. Reducing the level of absenteeism increases the productivity of the whole company. There are several ways to reduce the rate of staff absenteeism in an organization, such as writing attendance policy. When the attendance is written down, it helps to formalize the organization’s expectations for attendance. Setting clear, the attendance expectations will help the staff members to understand what the organization expects to form them and this t the end of the day will allow them to behave as expected by the organization and this will help to reduce the level of absenteeism (Andrews et al. 65). Another way to reduce staff attendance is through rewarding good attendance. Everybody likes to be appreciated for doing the right thing. Whenever the employers reward the members of staff who have recorded good attendance, it will motivate the other members, which will increase the employees’ attendance at the end of the day. Also, there is a need to provide enough employee support. Sometimes the members of staff who don’t attend work in certain days of the month face different challenges in their lives and this sometimes may be the cause of their absenteeism.
Research Methodology
The data used for this project is both qualitative data, which is expressed in the form of numbers and quantitative data expressed in words (Grinza, Elena & François, 45). The data were directly collected from the staff members. In a qualitative data approach, the aim is to produce contextual real-world knowledge about the behaviors, social structures, and shared beliefs among the staff members in the organization’s production unit.
Description of Data Collection Methods
The data collection methods used include surveys, interviews and questionnaires. These methods are crucial because they help get the information directly from the staff members in a particular organization. It becomes completely different and even better to get the information to the staff members because they are the people who don’t go to work and might directly share what is causing them not to attend appointments (Richmond et al. 45) regularly. This is somehow more reliable than secondary sources because the reasons may differ from one company to another, and maybe the circumstances that those secondary sources were based on were different from the actual events that this organization is facing.
Methods of Analysis
The methods of analysis used in this project are the qualitative methods and the quantitative methods (Richmond et al. 45). They both explain how the analyzed data was processed. In the qualitative methods, the analysis is based on numbers, while in the quantitative techniques, the analysis is based on the observations made.
Task 2
Valid Sources that can be Used to Obtain Data
Surveys
One of the ways used to collect the data in the bid is to investigate the leading causes of a high number of absences among the staff members in the organization’s production unit. The sampling method used to administer the surveys is systematic sampling, where the employees were selected systematically and survey questions were administered.
Questionnaires
Another method of data collection was to collect the data concerning the high level of absences (Richmond et al. 45). The questions were strategically written. Some of the questions were open-ended, while others were closed questions where the staff was only allowed to answer the questions according to how they were framed in the questionnaires.
Interviews
Another method of data collection that was used was the interviews. Several members of the staff were interviewed to determine the reasons why there is an increased number of absences (Richmond et al. 45). The interviews were done both to those members who have exhibited these behaviors and also those who have not.
Collation and Synthesis of Data
From the different data sources, other results were obtained that allowed for comparison. Some similarities were observed from all the three data sources and some differences were noticed. Bringing together the different pieces of information from the three sources allows the researcher to be in a position to get the concept and the whole idea right and also it will enable one to judge which is the best method of data collection that a person can use. The synthesis of data in this part is also critical (Webber, 56). Data synthesis allows for combining different results from different studies or from different sources to obtain a qualitative estimate.
From all the three data sources, there were similar results that were obtained that allowed a conclusion to be made in the long run. It was noticed that one of the leading causes of the absences in the three sources was that there was a lack of proper employee follow up in the company. Employees were not thoroughly followed up and attendance had not been taken so seriously by the employees, especially in the production department. This led to laxity among the staff and that is why some of them could misbehave and fail to come to work. Another reason that appeared to be familiar with the three sources is that there was no enough staff motivation from the company (Webber, 56). Most staff members need a source of inspiration such as a good, constant and reliable pay that would allow them to keep coming to work continually. When the organization does not take good care of the salary and sometimes even practically talking and motivating the staff members, some of them get discouraged. They tend to be absent on several occasions. There was also a difference that was observed from the three sources. From the questionnaires, many employees admitted that one of the causes of absences is a commitment to other jobs. Many of them started looking to other sources of income from a different place. The interview also brought something different: one of the reasons there were a high number of staff absences was due to the poor working conditions in the production unit. Most of the employees are afraid of risking their lives. The surveys also had something different to say. The surveys responses established that one of the reasons for the high number of absences was the harassment by the management.
The project aims to reduce the number of staff absences. There are two good options that much help to achieve the purpose. One of the options is coming up with acceptable attendance policy. The other option is supporting the employees. The best choice of this is to support the employees. Whenever the employees are fully supported and shown concern by the management, they feel necessary, which will make them never even think of recklessly not coming to work (Webber, 56). This is because sometimes they do not come to work because of issues affecting their lives that if the management can be close enough to them, they would change for the better.
Task 3
Critical Evaluation of the Research
In my opinion, the set of research findings are very true. Absenteeism among the members of staff in organizations is a very rampant case. Compared the results obtained from the surveys, questionnaires and interviews with those in the other secondary sources, they appear to be more or less the same. Also, in real-life situations, these reasons appear to be the main reasons that cause people not to be corporative in their workplaces and also not to register good attendance in their places of work (Webber, 56). Writing down the employees’ attendance expectations dramatically helps keep the employees on toes to make sure that they don’t miss going to work. Rewarding good attendance will also greatly help to reduce the absences levels among the employees because those who have been performing well in attendance will be encouraged and those who have been performing poorly will be challenged to stop absent.
Evaluation of the Key Features from the Evaluation to Draw Relevant Conclusion
From the evaluation, several features can be used to conclude. One of the features is that there is an excellent relationship between the number of absences and the company’s quality of management. When an organization has proper management, there will be minimal absenteeism cases among the staff members (Webber, 56). This is because most of the staff members who are generally absent are either facing a challenge that the management has taken long to notice or it is the management has not taken good care of their needs such as working conditions and financials. Also looking at the causes of the absences can provide solutions to these problems by looking keenly at them. This will positively contribute to the achievement of the project’s aim because identifying the causes of the problem is always the first step in solving the problem. There are also several constrains that occurred when analyzing the information. One of the constrain or difficulty was getting different responses from the different data collection methods. This makes it challenging to come up with a clear conclusion.
Action Plan
Aim: To Reduce the Numbers of Absences on the Production Department
| Action Step | Start Date | Due Date | Resources | Desired Outcomes |
| Writing attendance policy | 26th August | 29th August | Proper IT experts and IT materials such as computers | Members of staff become more committed |
| Setting expectations for attendance | 28th August | 2nd September | Proper IT and human resource personnel | The number of absences in the department to reduce |
| Rewarding good attendance | 14th September | 14th September | More people to be encouraged to attend work every workday | |
| Supporting the staff | 27th September | 25th December | Members of staff who had the problem of absentees will reduce |
Recommendations of a Course of Action that Achieves the Strategic Aims of the Project
Reducing the number of absences in the department requires a set of intended actions that will allow for the achievement of the set aim. One of the steps required is to analyze the adverse effects of absences in the department and how it affects productivity. After analyzing, this the organization needs research on the causes of the high numbers of staff absences. After getting the problems, the next step is coming up with solutions. The solutions will be based on the research that would have been conducted. The last step is the implementation stage, where the laid out solutions will be practically put into practice.
The Impact of Recommendations
The course action recommended has positive impacts on the company. It gives a work breakdown structure that allows the implementation of the solutions obtained to be easy. Breaking down the whole work makes. It also allows the solving of the problem much faster. In a business organization, the speed at which the problem is solved is a determinant. The faster the solving, the lower the risk of the business collapsing.
Task 4
Two mediums can be used to present the data. They include a semi tabular method and a graphical method. Semi tabular method uses both textual and tabular methods. The textual form is a medium of data presentation whereby the information is presented so that the reader acquires information through reading the gathered data collected from different places. The tabular method provides a precise, orderly and systematic presentation of data in columns and rows. Semi tabular methods are more presentable and more efficient than having the textual method alone or tabular method alone. The graphical method is a medium which utilizes graphs to present data. Graphs are effective because they give a clear visual presentation of statistical results or findings (Szwarc et al. 32). Of these two mediums, the graphical representation is one of the best methods to present the data because it shows the trend of how the rate of absences is increasing or decreasing in the company and this will help the company’s department to make the right decision in curbing the problem.
Project Responsibility Matrix
How the Identified Deliverables Contributed to the Key Elements of the Project Scoping
The identified deliverables have greatly contributed to shaping the project scope. The questionnaire design has determined the course of the project in that the questions in there have been framed to gather the required information that will help to reduce the number of absences in the production department (Szwarc et al. 32). The selection of the respondents has also greatly contributed to the project scope. The selection of the right types of people to administer questionnaire is very important because it helps to get the right information from the people. The success of a project is dependent on getting the right information and the beginning of getting the right of information is getting the right people to administer the questions to. Also, the printing of the questionnaires should be done early. The numbers of the questionnaires should also be enough to cover all the respondents. The design of the questionnaires should also be presentable to the people who will be responding to the questions.
Critical Evaluation of the Impact and Success of the Investigative Project
The project has a positive impact on the overall research because it greatly helps to investigate the causes of the high number of absences in the production department. The solution to this problem is basically based on the first step of identifying the problem (Szwarc et al. 32). The investigative project can be said to be successful because all the causes of the problems have been identified. The identification of the problem has at the end of the day brought up solutions on the same, which is the core aim of the project.
Works Cited
Andrews, Stuart, et al. “Contingent academic employment in Australian universities.” LH Martin Institute (2016): 1-19.
Grinza, Elena, and François Rycx. “The Impact of Sickness Absenteeism on Firm Productivity: New Evidence from Belgian Matched Employer–Employee Panel Data.” Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society 59.1 (2020): 150-194.
Richmond, Dan, Jim Sibthorp, and M. Deborah Bialeschki. “Motivations and barriers for seasonal camp employment.” Journal of Youth Development 15.1 (2020): 180-203.
Szwarc, Eryk, et al. “Competence allocation planning robust to unexpected staff absenteeism.” Eksploatacja i Niezawodność 21 (2019).
Webber, Ashleigh. “Three in 10 staff put at risk by tiredness.” Occupational Health & Wellbeing 70.11 (2018): 7-7.