Absenteeism control

Press, 3 August 1976, Page 14

Absenteeism control

From JANET PARR Sydney An Australian tyre company that made world news two years ago when it started offering diamond rings, fur coats, refrigerators, colour television sets and other such rewards

to workers who would turn up for work regularly has given up the scheme. Aimed at reducing absenteeism — which at times was massive enough to disrupt production in the Sydney plant — the reward scheme was known as ACE (Absenteeism Cheats Everyone). The new campaign is ACP (Absenteeism Control Programme) and its slogan is “Absence makes the heart grow fonder — but the job less secure.” DEBIT POINTS The slogan puts the whole thing in a nutshell. The new programme works on a points system of debits and credits with built-in safeguards for those who need to be away genuinely, through illness, bereavement, military leave, jury service, court sub-poena or approved leave of absence. No points are lost for such bona fide absences but they are for others unauthorised or unsubstantiated, such as sickness without production of a medical certificate.

Six debit points in any one year are not considered excessive. But an employee with seven is told verbally that his attendance is being watched and at 10 debit points he receives notice in writing that his record is unsatisfactory. Fourteen points bring “termination of employment.”

Explaining what looks like a switch from the velvet glove to the iron fist approach the company says it has found from its records that the old reward scheme worked well for the first three months. It reduced absenteeism by over 10 per cent and brought inquiries about employment from as far away as Alaska. But the situation got bad again as soon as the novelty wore off and the more affluent the worker the more likely he seemed to take time off.