ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to make an assessment on the impact of employees absenteeism on performance in Ethiope East Council. This concern has been studied within several working areas and departments of the Ethiope East Council both at the headquarters and in other places like the ward level as well as villages in the governmental subdivisions. The objective of these case studies was to find out the genuine effects and possible recommendations that could be helpful to the local government authorities for their performance and good services provision. In this study Qualitative (interviews) was utilized to collect data and then data was analyzed. Workers absenteeism is a costly problem in most of the government authorities especially in the Local government authorities in Nigeria . Absenteeism costs huge amount of money for replacements, where by additional costs are incurred through new employees that are needed to replace the absent workers. The impact of workers absenteeism has not been given considerable attention by human resources professionals in Local government authorities in Nigeria. This research is valuable since it helps to understand the impacts of absenteeism consequently come up with the suggestions on how to reduce or deal with the problem. The study has found that excessive work load for remaining staff, delay in daily routine, poor customer’s satisfaction and complaints from the society are some of the impact of absenteeism. Hence, the management should take necessary steps to correct deficiencies in various institutions and fulfill the needs of workers which will enhance their satisfaction and motivation and thereby improve retention of the employees so as to provide quality care and services to the society.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Cover page i
Title page ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgments v
Abstract vi
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
1.2 Statement
of Problem
1.3 General Objective
1.4 Objectives
of the Study
1.5 Significance
of the Study
1.6 Research
Questions
1.7 Scope of the Study
1.8 Limitation of the Study
1.9 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The
History of Absenteeism
2.3 The
Conception of Absenteeism
2.2.1 Blameless or Innocent Absenteeism
2.2.2 Culpable or Blameworthy Absenteeism
2.4 Motivation
2.5 Staff Training
2.6 Qualities
of a Leader
2.7 Qualities
of Employees
2.8 Leadership
Styles
2.9 Leadership Style and Human Resources Management Practices.
2.10 Human Resources Management
Practices
2.10.1 Equitable Reward
2.10.2 Promotion
2.10.3 Job Security
2.10.4 Employee Participation
2.10.5 Information Sharing
2.11 Theoretical Framework
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research
Design
3.2 Population
of the Study
3.3 Sample
Size
3.4 Sampling
Method
3.4.1 Sampling
Procedure
3.5 Method
of Data Collection
3.6 Validity
of the Instrument
3.7 Reliability
of the Instrument
3.8 Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction
4.1 Analysis
of Data
4.1.1 Analysis
of Data According to Research Questions
4.2 Hypothesis
Testing
4.3 Discussion
of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
of the Study
5.2 Summary
of Findings
5.3 Conclusions
5.4 Recommendations
5.5 Suggestions
for Further Studies
References
Appendix: Questionnaire
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Every organization becomes what it is largely because
of its leader. This explains why in any organization, there are usually
individuals responsible for organizing or directing the affairs and activities
of such organization. One of the most durable contributions of administrative
theorists is the study of management as a set of functions. In this regard,
managing employee’s welfare and services would really help in boosting
employee’s morale in any organization or institution with the effect of good leadership
styles; and this is why leadership is considered as one of management
functions. Leadership is a factor in the managerial function of directing
(Akpala, 2018). Other factors in the managerial function of directing are
motivation and communication.
Local Government can be defined as a sub-national,
semiautonomous level of administration discharging its tasks in a particular
area within a state or nation. By definition, Local Governments are the rank of
government that are contiguous to the community and consequently responsible
for serving the political and material needs of citizens and communities at a
specific local area. Such areas could be a rural setting or an urban setting, a
village, a town, a suburb in a city or a city, depending on the dimension or
size. (The United Republic Of Nigeria, 2016). These individual are usually
people who have the ability to lead the other people in an organization to work
towards the realization of the goals and objectives of the organization in
order to move the organization forward.
The objective of the Ethiope East Council as the local
government authority is to provide efficient services to the community at
large. Some of the functions of Local Governments authorities including Ethiope
East Council are formulation, coordination and supervision of the
implementation of all plans for financial, industrial and communal development
in their areas of control, Monitoring and controlling the performance of duties
and functions of the council and its staff, Ensuring the collection and
appropriate use of the revenues of the council, Making by-laws appropriate
throughout their areas of jurisdiction, and considering and improving by-laws
made by village councils within their areas of jurisdiction, Ensuring,
regulating and coordinating progress plans, projects and programmes of villages
and township authorities within their areas of jurisdiction, Regulating and
monitoring the collection and utilization of revenue of village councils and
township authorities and subject to the laws in force, doing all such acts and
things as may be done by a people’s government (The Republic of Nigeria ,
2016). Ethiope East Council as the local government authority experiences a
problem of employees absenteeism which impacts on organizational effectiveness
and on the performance of employees.
Absenteeism is defined as a failure to report and stay
at work as programmed, in spite of any cause (Berelson, 2018). 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, 2017). In general, absenteeism can be defined as a
consistent failure to appear, particularly for work or other usual duty.
Workers may take a leave or not report to work for a diversity of reasons, some
of these may be unmanageable factors like illness, urgent situation, accidents
and other reasons; on the other hand also employees may also take leave while
they are able to be present at work. For that reason when recruits are absent
in the workplace with any cause whether legally or not all these kinds of
absence from work are termed as absenteeism of workers in the workplaces.
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 non attendance in a fair and transparent way to
reduce disharmony in the workplace (Buguzi, 2016). Within the context of the
public subdivisions in Nigeria 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 (2017)
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.
Therefore this study is so important in expanding knowledge about absenteeism
of workers in the workplace specifically by studying the issue at Ethiope East
Council as the case study which is one of the Local Government Authority in
Nigeria .
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 poured into attracting, selecting
and training members of staff, but too little of the same are directed towards
reducing absenteeism. It becomes 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 (Quinn,
2022).
A Local Government is set up with
primary objective of optimally utilizing its available human and/or material
resources to ensure that the total receipt of the organization in terms of
revenue exceeds its total expenditure or payment. The role of human resources
in an organization cannot be over emphasized. The pre determined goals and
objectives of an organization cannot be accomplished in the absence of the
positive morale and total commitment of the human resources otherwise known as
employee’s. This commitment and dedication is usually transformed into high
level of productivity and thereafter the actualization or realization of the
corporate objective of the organization.
It is pertinent to note here that
the wealth of a nation is hinged on Local Government. Therefore, capital and
natural resources are passive factors of production while the active factors
constitute the human resources who accumulate capital, exploit natural
resources (material resources), build socio-economic and political organization
and also carry forward national development. This means that for an
organization to progress and the nation develop, the human resources base must
be ultimately utilized and/or managed. It should be noted that human factors of
production and its management is equally difficult considering its morale
towards production.
According to Enaruna & Agbadudu,
(2022), when employee’s work under severe debilitating, unsafe and degrading
surrounding/environment for long hours and for a very poor remuneration/pay,
there arise a followership of suffering. This class-consciousness culminated
necessarily in service from employers, which evolved into trade unionism. The
pathetic and harsh environmental work place which people are subjected to is
not commensurable with their level of Human Resource Performance.
It also brings about greater productivity and the
attainment of set goals objectives.
A leader must possess the following characteristics.
i.
He must be friendly with
his employees
ii.
He must be willing to
accept responsibilities.
iii.
He must be able to plan
for the future.
iv.
He must be socially
active by participating in group function etc.
When leaders possesses some of these characteristics in
dealing with their employees, the researcher believe employees will work in
harmony and peace towards the attainment of organizational goals.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
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 (Staw, & Oldham, (2018). Local Government
Authorities are hardly effective due to workers absenteeism. This problem is
one of the main harms facing many sectors in Nigeria . Small percentage of
workers absenteeism may cause considerable amount of production lost. Workers
absenteeism directly affects the production and productivity. It causes a
replacement which is costly and time consuming, so many formalities have to be
followed to maintain and replace a person hence during that time production is
hindered to a great extent.
The
purpose of this study was to explore the impact of workers absenteeism in the
Local Government Authorities taking Ethiope East Council as a case study and
the findings will support towards putting down strategies to be employed to
reduce the absenteeism in the work place. However the findings will also
contribute to the literature in absenteeism. The study is important as it will
contribute to the performance of local government which is an engine towards
the economic development in the philosophy of decentralization. Local
Government Authorities are vital to the economic growth and development of the
nation. For this reason the ability of these organizations to make such a
contribution is largely dependent on human resources who possess the knowledge,
skills and abilities to deliver desired outcomes. The importance of dealing
with absenteeism of workers in any organization is of serious importance
considering that voluntary absenteeism of key employees have direct and
indirect negative consequences for the organizations.
1.3 GENERAL OBJECTIVE
The
general objective of this study was to examine the assessment on the impact of
employees absenteeism on performance in Ethiope East Local Government Council.
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are as follows:
i)
To identify the level of
absenteeism at Ethiope East Council.
ii)
To assess the impact of
employees absenteeism on performance in the workplaces.
iii)
To recommend strategies
that can be used by Ethiope East Council to reduce staff absenteeism and
stabilize performance.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
i. This
study is aimed the level of absenteeism at Ethiope East Council.
ii. It
is intended to explore the impact of employees absenteeism on performance in
the workplaces.
iii. The
study will find the strategies that can be used by Ethiope East Council to
reduce staff absenteeism and stabilize performance.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i) What factors influence workers’ absenteeism at
Ethiope East Council?
ii) How does the management tackle workers’
absenteeism?
iii) What strategy can be used to reduce high level of
absenteeism?
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The
study covers an area of Delta State, particularly, Ethiope East Local
Government.
It is concern with an assessment on
the impact of employees absenteeism on performance in the local government, for
the advancement of organizational set goals.
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
In the
course of carrying out this study a lot of problems were encountered.
Financial
problem: the researcher was not financially fit and as a result, the researcher
could not find it easy in moving from one place to another.
Another
problem encountered was the inability to convince the management of the
organization that the aim of the research was merely for academic purpose. Some
management staff refused to disclose some fact and data useful for the study.
This also posed some problem in writing this project.
Also
some received the questionnaire but refused to fill them. A study of this
magnitude should not be limited to a short period of time.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
i. Leader:
A leader is a person who directs the behaviour of group members and gives
instruction on how a task is to be done.
ii. Leadership:
Is the process of influencing the activities of organized group toward goal
setting and goal achievement.
iii. Employee:
Is a person employed to work under a leader and is being directed and organized
by a leader.
iv. Objective: Is the aim an organization
wants to achieve.
v. Organization: This means two or more
people getting together for a purpose.
v.
Relationship:
The way two or more people are connected.
vi.
Cooperation:
The willingness to be helpful and do what you are asked to do.
vii.
Managerial
Power: The power of directing Human Resource to
work toward achievement of good.
viii.
Responsibility:
A duty placed on someone.
ix.
Resources:
Materials need for the effective running of an organization which is either in
human or raw material form.
x.
Productivity:
The rate at which a worker or company produces goods, and the amount produced.
xi.
Absenteeism:
As a consistent failure to appear, particularly for work or other usual duty.
Workers may take a leave or not report to work for a diversity of reasons, some
of these may be unmanageable factors like illness, urgent situation, accidents
and other reasons; on the other hand also employees may also take leave while
they are able to be present at work.
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