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Examines in detail the issue of absence among nurses in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. Three main objectives are to: investigate levels and reasons for absence among nurses; assess the abilities of NHS management to monitor and control nurse absence effectively; and examine the impact of nurse absence on organizational costs and care delivery. Draws on data generated from four linked studies: a survey of back‐injured nurses, conducted in 1992; a survey of 4,000 qualified nurse members of the Royal College of Nursing, conducted in March/April 1993; a postal survey of 119 NHS employing units, conducted in May/June 1993; and detailed case studies, conducted with management in ten NHS hospital sites in May/June 1993.

This article reports a study of absence in a regional police force. The main aims of the research were to investigate the relationship between absence, age and type of shift work. From the outset, we were mindful of the need to design and carry out a methodologically sound study that would be compromised as little as possible by the practical constraints of field work. An unusually high degree of co‐operation in providing access to the required data was provided by the organisation chosen for study. The sample was probably one of the largest of its kind ever chosen for a study of absence. In the end, we were able to conclude nothing at all about the relationship between absence and shift work. We believe that, although the design was modified by practical considerations, it was nevertheless our concern not to settle for a simple “before and after” design that rescued us from drawing some entirely spurious conclusions. An account of how this occurred is offered as a striking reminder of the need for control groups in studies of organisational change. The research did succeed in achieving the other main aim of observing the relationship between absence and age, and this is discussed.

Employee absence costs British industry £5 billion per year; 200 million working days are lost annually. The average shopfloor worker takes eleven days off each year. In their book, Managing Employee Absence for a Competitive Edge, the authors recommend a systematic seven‐step approach to absence control called ALIEDIM. The framework stands for Assess, Locate, Identify, Evaluate, Design, Implement and Monitor the company′s absence control procedure. The first step of assessing an organisation′s absence problem is examined. How big is it compared with similar firms in the industry? The benchmarking approach can indicate whether an expensive and time‐consuming programme of absence reduction will be cost‐effective. Internal and external benchmarking approaches are described in turn with examples, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are summarised.

The very practical issue of calculating the costs to the company of employee absence is discussed. The article is based on the research carried out by the authors of their recently published book, Managing Employee Absence for a Competitive Edge, an acronym for the seven‐step approach to controlling absence in the organisation. The “A” stands for the assessment and costing of absence, the topic of this article. The remaining steps of the ALIEDIM approach are also described to set the article in context.

The average company in the UK loses £533 a year for each of its workers in the direct costs alone of absenteeism. Yet most companies have little or no idea how the issue affects them nor how to go about managing it to benefit the bottom line. In this extract from their new book Alastair Evans and Steve Palmer explain how to quantify the problem as a first step to controlling it.

Continuing pressure to increase business competitiveness means that organisations are looking for new ways in which to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The old adage says that a company's greatest asset is its people. It is also business law that improving the returns achieved on assets can increase profitability. In terms of staff costs, that could mean increasing productivity, or reducing time lost through staff absence. This paper focuses on absence management, a growing trend in the USA, and one set to spread through the UK. In particular, the paper considers the specific communications issues raised by actively managing absence in the UK. This paper examines how an active approach to absence management could be seen as a challenge to the psychological contract between employer and employee. If any such policy is to succeed there has to be open communication between staff, line managers and senior management about the business case for adopting a new approach. Those responsible for communicating the policy require a clear understanding of the business issues involved, foresight as to the benefits and threats to staff, and an honest appraisal of the organisation's existing culture which will determine how easily absence management objectives can be fulfilled.

This article is based on the recently published report, Managing Sickness Absence in the Police Service: A Review of Current Practices, which was commissioned by the Home Office and the Health and Safety Executive. It aims to use this to inform approaches to reducing the number of days lost to ill health in the police forces in England and Wales.

The research involved focus groups and interviews with over 300 police staff and officers in a representative sample of seven police forces. The report is based on an in‐depth analysis of absence management in the case study forces and presents the views of all levels of staff.

The findings identify the clear themes and issues that are vital for the effective management of absence in the police forces, but these insights are also clearly relevant to all organisations.

The key messages from the research are that absence management requires a mix of approaches to support the vast majority who are genuinely sick and to deter the small minority whose absence is not health‐related. A good clear absence policy is essential but not sufficient. It must be supported by reliable data that are presented in an understandable format. Wider issues also need to be considered, such as the actual causes of absence so that appropriate solutions are provided. The key player in all this is the line manager who must be confident in their role, well trained and capable of using their discretion in managing their staff who are absent.

The paper identifies the clear themes and issues that are vital for the effective management of absence in the police forces which can also be applied to other organisations.

There has been a marked increase in the level of absence from work in the UK in recent years. There have also been increases in earnings and sickness benefits, and this paper examines these income variables as determinants of absence.

The effect of variable pay schemes on workplace absenteeism is estimated using two cross-sections of private sector British establishments. Establishments that explicitly link pay with individual performance are found to have significantly lower absence rates. The effect is stronger for establishments that offer variable pay schemes to a greater share of their non-managerial workforce. Matched employer–employee data suggest that the effect is robust to a number of sensitivity tests. Establishments that tie a greater proportion of employees’ earnings to variable pay schemes experience lower absence rates. Quintile regressions suggest that the effect is greater among establishments with a higher than average (‘sustainable’) absence rate. Finally, panel data suggest that a feedback mechanism is present; high absenteeism in the past is correlated with a greater future incidence of individual variable pay schemes, which, in turn, is correlated with lower current absence rates.

This chapter brings new evidence on the relationship between employees' well-being, sickness absence, and four dimensions of workplace performance: productivity, efficiency, quality of service, and profitability. It uses a new panel data set with monthly observations over two years for 48 local units of a large multisite organization in the logistics sector. It finds that good consultation and communication at the local level are associated with lower absenteeism. It also finds that lower absence is associated with higher efficiency, productivity, quality of the service, and profitability of the firm. Finally, the authors suggest that the link between workers' absence and this firm's profitability runs through the increased use of replacement labor, which raises short-run costs and reduces quality of service.