Measuring Workplace Absenteeism Using the Bradford Factor to Detect Sick Leave Abuse Reynold Stone, Ph.D. Reynold.Stone@sta.uwi.edu Department of Food Production Faculty of Food and Agriculture Association of Caribbean Higher Education Administrators 15th Annual International Conference Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort Runaway Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica July 7-9, 2016

Introduction Absenteeism – the habitual and deliberate absence of an employee from his of her job. Major problem faced by many organisations worldwide including institutions of higher education. High absenteeism – costly, leads to disruption in the workplace, reduced productivity, low quality service, and low morale.

Introduction (cont’d) Absenteeism has also been correlated with engagement suggesting that a high level of absenteeism indicates a workforce with a low level of engagement (HR Metrics Service, 2014). Trinidad and Tobago ranks fifth in the world with the highest rates of workplace absenteeism – culture to blame says Dr. Keith Nurse, WTO Chair (Singh, 2015).

Introduction (cont’d) [Source: World Economic Forum, 2015]

Introduction (cont’d) At UWI, St. Augustine, sick-leave benefit – 21 days for monthly-paid employees and 14 days for daily-paid employees – Collective Agreements with Trade Unions. At UWI, St. Augustine, little or no work has been done to measure absenteeism to determine whether the sick-leave benefit is abused.

Objective of the study To measure absenteeism to assess whether the sick leave benefit is abused by employees in the Department of Food Production, Faculty of Food and Agriculture, The University of the West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Data used Attendance records of 33 employees: Employee types: 24 monthly-paid 9 daily-paid. Period: January 1 – December 31, 2015.

The Bradford Factor The Bradford factor (or formula) is based on the theory that short, frequent and unplanned absences are far more disruptive to any organisation than longer, planned absences, where the redeployment of human resources can be more easily planned and organised (Clare, 2015).

The Bradford Factor (cont’d) Bradford Factor score = S2 x D where, S = the total number of spells (instances) of sick leave over the year D = the total number of sick-leave days for the year

The Bradford Factor (cont’d) Case 1 10 days: 2 x 5 days BF score = 22 x 10 = 4 x 10 = 40 Case 2 10 days: 10 x 1 day BF score = 102 x 10 = 100 x 10 = 1000

Typical Bradford Factor scores with corresponding courses of action Course of action 0 – 50 No action required 51 – 200 Verbal warning 201 – 400 Written warning 401 – 600 Final warning 600+ Dismissal

Summary statistics of sick-leave days taken Employees Minimum Median Mean Maximum All 0.0 19.5 18.1 29.5 Monthly-paid 7.0 18.5 17.4 24.0 Daily-paid 20.0 19.9

Sick-leave days taken – all employees

Sick-leave days taken – monthly-paid employees

Sick-leave days taken – daily-paid employees

Box plot comparison of sick-leave days taken by monthly- and daily-paid employees

Summary statistics of Bradford Scores Employees Minimum Median Mean Maximum All 3,570 4,822 22,736 Monthly-paid 250 2,995 3,838 10,140 Daily-paid 5,202 7,447

Bradford Factor scores – all employees

Bradford Factor scores – monthly-paid employees

Bradford Factor scores – daily-paid employees

Box plot comparison of Bradford Factor scores of monthly-paid and daily-paid employees

Conclusions Sick leave is abused by the majority of employees in the Department of Food Production (DFP), Faculty of Food and Agriculture, The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. Absenteeism by employees in the DFP seems to be just as bad as in the national working population of Trinidad and Tobago. If typical Bradford Factor scores were used as done in the UK, the vast majority of DFP employees (91%) would have been dismissed in 2015. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on work ethics (punctuality and attendance) in the appointment and promotion of employees at UWI, St. Augustine.

Recommendation Employees should be educated about the Bradford Factor and the Bradford Factor score should be employed in appointment and promotion decisions at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

References Clare, E. (2015, September 16). How to use the Bradford Factor for absence management. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://blog.carval.co.uk/bradford-factor HR Metrics Service. (2014, August). HR Metrics Interpretation Guide Version 7.1. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://www.hrmetricsservice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/HR-Metrics-Interpretation-Guide-v7.1.pdf Isle of Man Government Office of Human Resources. (n.d.). Bradford Factor Score. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from https://www.gov.im/hr/MSA/Preventing/bradford_factor.xml Lucas, E. (2013, October 29). What is the Bradford Factor and how can it help you manage absences? Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://cezannehr.com/hr-blog/2013/10/bradford-factor-can-help-keep-track-absence/ Singh, N. (2015, October 30). T & T has absenteeism problem says WTO chair. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2015-10-30/tt-has-absenteeism-problem-says-wto-chair Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce. (n.d.). Managing Employee Absenteeism. Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://chamber.org.tt/articles/managing-employee-absenteeism-4/ World Economic Forum. (2015). The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016 from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/gcr/2015- 2016/Global_Competitiveness_Report_2015-2016.pdf

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