The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-05-22
REASONS FOR
ABSENCES ART
DIS Ct 0 Sci
X cords Show Four
& a ses o {
Absenteeism

War plants without systena,it
plans for reducing the causes @.
ahscntccism have nearly twice as
high rate Of job absences as those
which do have such programs. the
Office Of War Information reported
today.
The owl report was based on
interviews with workers in each al
ia war plants in various industries
end various sections Of nc coun.
Try talkS with number n, tAe alb.
sontocs Themselves. and fri ma.
ton from the plants. representatives
Of labor and management. and
community leaders
Seven plants Wit systematic pro-
grams were found 10 have a Job
absence rate averaging a. per cent
o month Nine other war paints.
with hit-or-niss methods. had an
absence rate Of 81 per cent.
Analysis 81 absence records Of
1900 workers 100 in each OF the
is plants--showod:
J. Married women are absent
most. Next come single men. then
single women. Married men are
absent least
Those who had been on the
sob between three months and two
years were most frequently absent
Next came those with less than
three months and two years were
most frequently absent Next came
those with less than three months.
Least absent were the old lands
with more than two years expe--
fence.
3 New residents Of a community
are moro often absent from he job
than regular residents.
4. Workers who object 10 plant
health or safety conditions. or lunch
arrangements. or promotional poll
cy are more frequently absen: than
satisfied workers.
More than half OF the worker
had specific suggestions in answer
10 the question what can be done
70 cut down absentee.sm. The most
frequcn: suggestions were for re-
arrangement OF hours OF work and
not granting overtime pay for the
week in which the worker is alb
sent Other suggestions: Improve
plant conditions. community condi-
tons. wages and productive eff
cheney; educate employees, reward
regular attendance; discharge the
absentees and put them in the
army.
Typical proposals for rearrange-
ment OF hours Of work showed the
workers were concerned with re-
ducing long hours. or concentrating
work so they will have afternoons
or days 10 themselves. Some were:
Give Saturday afternoon off"
"Let everyone take a day off a
month to take care OF personal
work"
Permit one shopping day a
month"
Give workers vacations"
Give five and a half days q
week and work longer each day"
The difference in absences be-
tween plants with programs and
those without was shown in two
aircraft companies in the same
community. where housing, working
and living conditions were substan-
tally the same for both groups of
workers. The absence rate in the
yard with systematic program,
one Of the most thorough of all the
plants surveyed, was half that of
the other.
A plant has taken long step in
dealing with the problem OF alb
senteeism If il institutes a systema-
tic investigatory procedure for abb
sences, the survey disclosed. 1t also
was found that when a plant pro-
vides facilities for the workers con-
venience, his reasons for absence
are automatically reduced.
Punitive methods were used in
some OF the plants, including dis
missals and lsyoffs. but these seem
70 be used mostly as threats except
in few fragrant examples One
shipyard tried 10 shame absentees
by issuing Hitler checks" for time
lost, but the resentment was so
strong thst the company quickly
dropped the plan. Some workers.