Impact of Employee Absenteeism on Organisation Performance: A Study on Sainsbury

This research aims to identify the impact of employee absenteeism on the overall productivity and performance of the company. The study focuses on Sainsbury, the second largest supermarket store in the UK, and examines the different types of factors that determine employee absenteeism within the company. The research methodology includes both primary and secondary methods. The findings of the research will help in reducing the impact of absenteeism among employees so that performance and productivity of the company can be improved.

Research project
(To identify the impact of employee’s
absenteeism over organisation
performance and productivity within the
retail industry of UK)
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ABSTRACT
The main purpose and aim of the present research is to determine the impact of
absenteeism of employees on the overall productivity and performance of the company. There
are several objectives that also fulfilled in this following research such as to study the concept of
employee absenteeism in the retail industry, to examine the different types of factors that
determines employee absenteeism within the company, to determine the challenges faced by
company and its effect on the performance of an organisation and to analyse the different types
of strategies for reducing the absenteeism of employees in the company. The research
methodology that the researcher will be using for collecting data is both primary and secondary
methods. The information is collected by using questionnaire in the numeric form which helps in
supporting the findings of the research. The present research mainly focus on reducing the
impact of absenteeism among employees so that performance and productivity of the company
can be improved. This is necessary for the company and helps in improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of employees towards achieving the aims and objectives of the research in an
precise and reliable manner. The researcher has selected this research topic in order to obtain the
detailed information about topic in an effective manner and by using efficient research methods
for deriving accurate and sustained quantitative data for conducting the whole research
effectively. Thus, the discussion about the conclusion and recommendation is also been included
in the current research project along with reflection in order to support better skill development
career.
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Table of Contents
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Overview of the topic...................................................................................................................4
Background of the company........................................................................................................4
Research aim and objective.........................................................................................................5
Research question........................................................................................................................5
Research rational..........................................................................................................................5
Research problem.........................................................................................................................6
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................7
What is the concept of employee absenteeism within the context of retail industry?.................7
What are the factors that influence employee absenteeism within an organisation?...................9
What are the challenges faced by Sainsbury due to consistent employee absenteeism and its
impact on organisation performance?........................................................................................12
What are the different strategies implemented by Sainsbury in order to reduce employee
absenteeism within their organisation?......................................................................................14
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................18
RESULTS......................................................................................................................................21
Frequency Distribution Table....................................................................................................21
DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................23
Data Interpretation.....................................................................................................................23
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION....................................................................................................35
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.............................................................................38
REFLECTION ..............................................................................................................................41
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................42
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................45
Questionnaire.............................................................................................................................45
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INTRODUCTION
Overview of the topic
Employee absenteeism can be defined as the absence made by the employee apart from the
accepted time span. The habitual behavior of the employee to take frequent leaves in known as
absenteeism. In this employee does not come to the workplace and perform their duty. It is
being seeing that employee absenteeism impact the organizational performance in negative
manner (Karatepe, Rezapouraghdam and Hassannia, 2020). Absenteeism in the organisation
occur because of many reason. Some of them are low employee engagement, less motivation,
workplace burnout, mental illness, family issue and many more. There are two types of
employee absenteeism that are:
 Culpable absenteeism: This is that type of absenteeism where employee does not
provide the legitimate reason for not coming to work.
 Non culpable absenteeism: In this staff provide the valid and legitimate reason for
missing the work or not coming to the work.
It is very important for the organisation to look out the factor of employee absenteeism
because it affect their organizational performance in poor manner. Organisational performance
can be defined as the process of measuring the actual result of the company with the standard
result. It is very important for the company to match their actual outcome with stander because it
helps them in attaining aim and objective. There are various types to measure organizational
performance such as human resource outcomes, accounting result, capital market result and
many more (Dyrbye and et. al, 2019).
In recent time employee absenteeism is a very serious concern because human resources are
the biggest assets for the company. Through their efforts and skills, the actual business operation
is being conducted. High absenteeism arte impact the market image of the brand which affect the
recruitment and selection process of the organisation. Loss of productivity is one of the major
concern of employee absenteeism which directly affect the revenue capacity of the firm as well
as increase the cost of capital (Hansen, Løkke and Sørensen, 2019).
Background of the company
The selected organisation for the current investigation is Sainsbury. It is the second largest
supermarket store in United Kingdom. The company hold 16% of the total UK market share. The
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founder of the Sainsbury is John James Sainsbury, who founded the brand in the year 1869.
Headquarter of Sainsbury is in London, England. The store of Sainsbury is located in different
parts of United kingdoms and almost there are 1428 shops are there. Some of the well famous
brand of the organisation are Argos, Habitat, Nectar and TU. The company is divided into
various sector such as hyper market, supermarket, Convenience shop and Forecourt shop. There
are some subsidiaries of Sainsbury which are Sainsbury’s bank, Sainsbury’s supermarkets and
Sainsbury’s local. The company is selected because there are more than 1, 80,000 employee
works in Sainsbury, so the researcher wants to see the impact of employee’s absenteeism in their
performance.
Research aim and objective
Research aim:
To identify the impact of employee’s absenteeism over organisation performance and
productivity: A study on Sainsbury
Research objective:
 To understand the concept of employee absenteeism within the context of retail industry.
 To examine the factor that influence employee absenteeism within an organisation
 To discern the challenges faced by Sainsbury due to consistent employee absenteeism
and its impact on organisation performance
 To analysis the different strategies implemented by Sainsbury in order to reduce
employee absenteeism within their organisation
Research question
 What is the concept of employee absenteeism within the context of retail industry?
 What are the factors that influence employee absenteeism within an organisation?
 What are the challenges faced by Sainsbury due to consistent employee absenteeism and
its impact on organisation performance?
 What are the different strategies implemented by Sainsbury in order to reduce employee
absenteeism within their organisation?
Research rational
The main reason for carrying out the research is to gain deeper understanding on employee
absenteeism. This investigation helps the researcher to acquire knowledge regarding the impact
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of employee absenteeism on organizational performance. This investigation will also highlight
the factors which influence employee absenteeism as well as also helps in examine the
challenges company will face due to high employee absenteeism. Through this research
investigator will also get to know the various strategies that can be used to reduce employee
absenteeism within the organisation (Ozturk and Karatepe, 2019). The current research is of
great interest as it will facilitate in attaining dual objective which are personal and professional.
In respect to the personal objective this investigation will helps in enhancing the knowledge
about the tool, method and technique used in research so that investigation can be completed in
systematic and scientific manner. Another personal objective would be; this investigation will
build certain skills in me which facilities in doing research in appropriate manner. Some of the
skills which will be developed are communication skill, problem solving skill, data analytical
skill, research skill and many more (Grinza and Rycx, 2020). Whereas in context to professional
objective, the current investigation will identify various human resource jobs available in various
organisation. So that professional career can be developed in sound manner. Other professional
objective that will be gained is through this research various strategies will be knowing which
helps in reducing the employee absenteeism when I will be working as a human resource
manager in any organisation. Thus, the current research is quite significant in successfully
fulfilling the personal and professional objective.
Research problem
The problem that is being identify in the current investigation is that employee absenteeism
affect the production of the company in great manner. It is very important for the company to
reduce the absence in their company if they want gain competitive edge from them. Employee
absenteeism creates problem for the company as their business activity will hinder (Malmberg-
Ceder and et. al, 2020). Employee absenteeism has also affect the market image of the company.
Organisation will face difficulty in hiring and attracting pool of talent in their company. One of
the major problem of employee absenteeism is loss of productivity and low employee
motivation.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
It is the chapter that covers second-hand information about the chosen research topic. This
focuses over addressing each research question in such a way that aim of the study could be
easily attained. The secondary sources used in the present study are: books, magazines,
newspapers, publications, articles, already conducted interviews, questionnaire and so on.
What is the concept of employee absenteeism within the context of retail industry?
According to Zondo (2020), absenteeism is defined as the term which shows the habitual
non-presence of individuals working in the organisation. Habitual non-presence increases
beyond what is deemed to be within an acceptable realm of days away from the organisation for
legitimate reasons such as emergency in family, occasional illness and scheduled leaves and
vacations. Possible reasons of over-absenteeism involve ongoing personal challenges, job
dissatisfaction and chronic medical issues and challenges. Without having any proper reason, an
employee who takes continuous leave may tarnish their own reputation in the workplace and this
directly impacts their long-term employability negatively. But, there are some of the reasons of
absenteeism in the organisation that are acceptable as well as legally protected. Organisations
expect their workforce to miss some operations every year for legitimate reasons. However,
when an employee takes continuous leave or remain absent from their work then it directly
impacts the operations and functions of the organisation. Missing opportunities or work become
one of the challenges for an organisation when an employee is repeatedly or unexpectedly
absent. Companies has to go through many challenges when employees are absent and they get
more worried when they have to pay their employees even though they were absent for their
work. It becomes one of the major problems when an employee is missing from their assigned
roles and responsibilities during deadlines of the projects and busy times of the year.
Therefore, employee absenteeism within retail sector has a negative impact over
organisations, with both operational and financial challenges. It simply creates burden on the
team of HR, who require to find out more alternatives to cover the hours an individual is absent.
Employee absenteeism creates a negative atmosphere within the different teams and departments
of the organisation. When an employee is absent unexpectedly and take continuously leave then
it also lead to poor customer service. This becomes the main reason to adopt different strategies
to control and reduce employee absenteeism in the workplace. This will help retail companies to
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avoid high level of absenteeism and manage team operations effectively and efficiently. Some of
the major causes or reasons that make an employee to take off from an organisation are
explained below in a brief manner (Neuber and et. al., 2022). There are some reasons that are
generally outside the company which have to do with people themselves.
Medical and healthcare absences: This kind of absence generally occurs when the
employee needs time off for attending an appointment or undergoing a medical process, or
requests sick leave for their temporary illness.
Force majeure causes: It is the main case in which employees claim incidents such as
transport issues, network failure, and bad weather. Employees use these reasons to prevent them
from doing work of organisation and showing up for their assigned roles and responsibilities.
Family and personal reasons: The other major reason of the employee absenteeism in
the workplace is family and personal reasons. Some of the family issues may include: caring of a
dependent or a child. The other reason of employee absenteeism is emotional causes of an
employee or when they do additional work other than their main job.
Demoralisation and stress: Stress and demoralisation are known as two factors that have
direct influence on rates of absenteeism in the workplace. A lack of engagement with the
company or with the motive of the operations the workforce does are common reasons for high
levels of absenteeism in the workplace.
Some of the other main reasons related to the organisation are given below in a brief way.
An employee takes leave from their work due to challenges or issues they face in their working
organisation. These are given below in a brief way.
High workload: One of the major causes of employee absenteeism in the workplace is
burnout or workload in the organisation. This creates frustration, stress and dissatisfaction among
customers and make them absent from their assigned operations and work.
High employee turnover: The other major reason of employee absenteeism in the
organisation is employees leaving the organisation and joining new companies. It creates
negative impact over remaining employees who are currently working in the organisation. High
employee turnover in teams show that an organisation needs to find alternatives for absent
colleagues. The leaders and managers of the team also focus on identifying the reasons why
members of the team are leaving organisation. This ultimately assists in controlling employee
absenteeism in the workplace.
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Negative working environment: When an organisation is suffering from a negative
working environment and atmosphere among people working in the organisation, between
managers and other employees, this ultimately becomes a main problem that creates impact on
the number of absences in the organisation. Thus, it is important to evaluate the working
environment of an organisation and analyse using various strategies of staff satisfaction.
Accidents and risks in the workplace: Risks and accidents in the workplace may create
absenteeism of employees (Tarro and et. al., 2020). Sometimes, an employee suffers accident
while performing their assigned responsibilities and roles in the workplace. Thus, it creates stress
among employees and influence them to take continuous leave from their work.
Lack of leadership and bad management: A lack of leadership from team leaders and
managers could lead to poor management, forming demoralisation and lower engagement among
employees operating in the organisation. When employees do not get continuous guidance and
support from their leaders and then it creates negative impact over motivation of employees. This
makes employee to take leave from their work and find new job opportunities where they can get
continuous growth, support and guidance. Thus, it makes an employee to take rest from their
work and find new opportunities.
What are the factors that influence employee absenteeism within an organisation?
As per the perspective of Labrague, Nwafor and Tsaras (2020), employee absenteeism
means when company faces frequent absence of employees within workplace. It is one of the
serious concern for firm as it influence the performance and growth of business. There are
various reason due to which organisation faces employee absenteeism such as low employee
engagement, time theft, lack of flexible working schedule, misuse of seniority, mental health
stress and many others. It is necessary for company to focus on reducing employee absenteeism
as it influence the performance and growth of business. Organisation must focus on reducing
employee absenteeism by understanding the need and expectation of staff within workplace. In
order to manage the employee absenteeism within workplace it is necessary to focus on creating
clear attendance policy, providing support, reducing workplace stress, providing feedback and
rewarding good attendance. The influence of employee absenteeism creates a negative impact on
the business as it lowers average income and also increases incidences of unemployment.
Absenteeism is considered as a stressful situation by the company and results in decreasing the
level of productivity and growth in the highly competitive business environment. Employees are
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considered as the most important asset of the company that helps in achieving the predetermined
goals and objectives of the business. Absenteeism means when an employee working in the
company do not appear at the workplace for some days or on the particular scheduled time for
conducting the working activities of the business. The reason behind leaving the workplace more
often can be because of illness or an emergency which impacts the performance and productivity
of the business operations of the company. Absenteeism at the company can occur because of
several avoidable and unavoidable reasons and these reasons affects their working efficiency and
effectiveness. There are various factors that influence employee absenteeism within business
they are as follows:
Negative working environment:
Negative working environment is one of the factor which increases employee
absenteeism within workplace. If organisation has negative working environment that reduces
the motivation and morale level of staff it becomes challenging to achieve the business goals and
objective in effective and efficient manner. The negative working environment can influence the
profitability and growth of business. It is necessary for an organisation to develop positive
working environment for their employees so that they can work productively and also contribute
their best performance in accomplishing business target (Grinza and Rycx, 2020). Negative
working environment leads to lack of recognition, high turnover, unhealthy communication and
gossiping.
Mental health issues:
Mental health issue is another factor that influence employee absenteeism within
workplace. While working in company, employee faces work load and stress which creates an
impact on the health issues of employees. For staff it is important to have sound mental health so
that they can give their better performance in accomplishing the work and target. The mental
health issue of staff also reduces their performance due to which they give poor results which
affects the growth and productivity of business. Employees face the problem related to mental
issues and this reduce their working capability and efficiency in attaining high growth and
profitability of the company in the competitive environment. Mental issues can be due to high
stress, depression, anxiety, or illness which leads to reduction in the performance and
productivity of employees to work effectively and efficiently.
No appreciation and reward:
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No appreciation and reward is another factor which influences employee absenteeism
within workplace. If organisation provides no appreciation and reward to its employees it
reduces their morale and motivation level of staff due to which it becomes challenging to achieve
the target in effective and efficient manner (Ozturk and Karatepe, 2019). It is important for
company to focus on organising reward and appreciation program for their employees so that
they feel valuable and comfortable within workplace and give their best efforts in improving
business performance. The appreciation and reward helps in increasing the performance and
efficiency of staff so that they can contribute their positive results in making business profitable.
Management and team issues:
Facing issues while working in the team is considered as the main factor that affects the
growth and satisfaction while working in the company. It mainly occurs due the fact that they do
not link with the other employees of the company and this results in depriving the performance
and productivity of the employees in achieving the aims and objectives of the business. This
builds negative interaction among the employees of the company and this results in decreasing
their working capability and efficiency (Tian and et. al., 2021). This results in increased
absenteeism at the workplace and this creates a negative environment at the workplace to
perform the whole work an an effective and efficient manner.
Family problems:
Some of the employers force their employees working in the company to leave their
family problems side and this affects their morale and motivation to work in the company
effectively. This increases the difficult situations like divorce, sickness in the family, urgent
matter with the child or lack of support related to childcare and this leads to increase the level of
absenteeism at the work place and do not give their full potential in achieving high growth and
success.
Workplace harassment or bullying
This is a major issue that employees face at the company and which results in reducing
the overall growth and productivity of the company in the competitive environment. This creates
a sense of fear in the minds of the employees and reduces the rate of effectiveness to work in the
company in a better manner and to reduce the working efficiency and capability of the
employees. This results in carrying out the work of the company in a proficient manner (Sulistyo
and Suhartini, 2019). This is the major issue that employees face at the time of performing work.
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What are the challenges faced by Sainsbury due to consistent employee absenteeism and its
impact on organisation performance?
As per the view of Etehadi and Karatepe (2019), employee absenteeism is a major
problem that company face and due to which the performance and productivity of employees
gets affected. Employees are considered as the main asset of the business organisation as they
helps in achieving the predetermined goals and objectives of the business. Employee
absenteeism is mainly defined as the regular absence of employee from the workplace which
results in decreasing the growth and success of the company in the business market. This is a
serious concern for the company which impacts the overall performance in the market and this
also affects the working culture of the organisation which further affects the working nature of
the company as a whole. Every company provides leave to the employees in case they are not
feeling well or if they are having any personal work so that they do their work with high
efficiency and effectiveness. The employees who are not company to the workplace for more
time period than it will result in absenteeism and which further results in loss of productivity and
decreases the motivation level and morale of the employees to work in the company efficiently.
It is the responsibility of Sanisbury manager to take care of the health of employees in order top
make them feel important and valuable while performing their best performance. Employers of
Sanisbury often face the problem of not getting enough staff at the office when employees start
making more unexcused absences within the company. This heightens the liabilities of the
employers as they need to add more labor cost and this affects the overall productivity of the
company as they do not come at the working hours for accomplishing the daily tasks. It also
results in increasing the workload of the remaining employees which later results in creating
dissatisfaction among them and also increases several other issuers also which hinders the
growth of the company in the competitive market (Karatepe, Saydam and Okumus, 2021). It is
important for the company to deliver healthy practices which helps in increasing the motivation
and morale of employees to work in an effective manner. Employee absenteeism affects the
culture of the company which hampers the overall growth and credibility of the operations of the
business. There are several challenges that Sainsbury face because of frequent absenteeism of
employees which are defined below:
 Decreased motivation among employees – Decreased motivation among employees is
the major challenge that Sanisbury will face because of increased absenteeism of
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employees within the company. As employees will not come to workplace for working
and this results in decreasing the level of motivation among other employees as they feel
worthless. It is important for the company to engage employees by organizing interesting
activities for increasing their level of motivation (Antony, 2018). The effect of
absenteeism on performance of employee reaches beyond the tasks which impacts both
physical and mental health of employees. With increased work related responsibilities,
the employees may experience high level of stress which results in creating lower morale
among employees.
 Reduced productivity and performance – When employees working in the company
do not come to office for more time period and are less interested in engaging the
working activities of the business tends to be less productive. High absenteeism rate in
Sainbury results in decreasing the performance and productivity of other employees
working in the company on a large level. An unplanned leave of the worker increases the
workload for other employees which results in dissatisfaction and irritation among them.
It is important for the company managers to focus on increasing their working efficiency
and effectiveness for more growth in the competitive market (Van Der Lippe and
Lippényi, 2020). Defining the work role and responsibilities to perform in the company
of employees needs to be clarified in a proper manner so that they work with high
motivation and dedication.
 Financial effect of absenteeism – This is considered as the major challenge which
Sainsbury face due to consistent absenteeism of employees from the workplace and not
performing the work with high effectiveness. The major problem is that salaried
employees who are not showing in the workplace for working and than also getting
proper salary affects the performance of other employees. The employees that are not
coming to the office are not showing any interest to complete the tasks that are given by
the managers on day to day basis (Jehanzeb and Mohanty, 2018). This results in
decreasing the working efficiency of other workers as they feel that they are doing extra
work and putting efforts to achieve the defined aim of the business. It is important for the
company to treat every employee in same variable and who are showing for the work
must be given some extra variability that ultimately motivates them top perform well.
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 Effect of absentee leadership – Another major challenge that effects the employees and
businesses mainly occurs because of the leaders that are not performing up to the mark
and are absent at the workplace while being in the organisation. A leader or manager of
Sanisbury who does not give proper direction, encouragement or feedback to the
employees results in creating a environment where workers feel disconnected and
dissatisfied. If the boss or senior member of the company ignores problems, important
mails cancel meetings or fails to communicate the emerging expectations often results in
decreasing the productivity in the business market (Chanana, 2021). Thus, many of the
employees will feel tired of the workplace environment and poor management and tends
to leave the working organisation for maintaining their mental peace.
These are the some of the challenges that company needs to consider for reducing the employee
absenteeism in the business and engaging employees in interesting activities so that they feel free
to participate in the business activities and in the process of decision making (Čikeš, Maškarin
Ribarić and Črnjar, 2018). This helps the employees of the company to work more efficiently
and confidently for increased growth and profitability in the highly competitive business market.
What are the different strategies implemented by Sainsbury in order to reduce employee
absenteeism within their organisation?
As per the view of Koonin (2020), it is very important for the company to reduce the rate
of employee absenteeism within the business in order to improve the business operations and
working performance. Sanisbury focus on employee satisfaction, well-being and engagement in
order to gain more growth in the business market. Employee absenteeism is considered as a
negative outcome which impacts the overall performance of the business organisation.
Absenteeism among employees of the company is when a member of the working staff is absent
from the workplace in the normal days of working. This mainly includes voluntary absenteeism
which is whether authorised or not once it has exceeded the given timeline and numbers of hours
spend within the company (Basterretxea and Storey, 2018). It is important for the company to
deliver effective working culture for the employees so that they achieve the desired goals and
objectives of the business. It is necessary for the company managers to guide and assist
employees in an effective manner so that they work with less stress and anxiety (Kefe, 2019).
The result of employee absenteeism is detrimental in two major ways and that is when the
employee of the company do not present at the work in busy days and when deadlines on the
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particular projects are approaching quickly. There are several types of strategies that help
Sainsbury in reducing the rate of employee absenteeism within the organisation which are
explained below:
 Explore remote work and flexible schedules – Absenteeism among employees of
Sanisbury reduces when company provides flexible working hours and remote working
option to them. This is considered as the most effective strategy in reducing employee
absenteeism that results in increasing retention of employees and in reducing the level of
stress for achieving high growth and success in the business market (Stone, Cox and
Gavin, 2020). Telecommuting is the most effective way that helps in reducing the
unscheduled absences from the workplace. This is because most of the reasons related to
absence from the workplace is for personal reasons. Remote work is the most suitable
form of motivating the employees for doing extra work for improving their performance
and profitability of the products in the market.
 Improve workplace and employee well-being – Happy employees are more excited for
performing work at the workplace and helps in achieving the set aims and objectives of
the company. Sainsbury mainly focus on providing help for improving both mental and
physical well-being of employees in order to increase their productivity (Carraro, 2021)
(Bodenhorn, 2020). Improved well-being of employees generally means less sick days
and reasons for not presenting at the workplace. It is important for the company managers
to manage the performance and productivity of the employees so that they work in favour
of the business for attaining more growth and profitability in the competitive market
(Lopez-Cabrales and Valle-Cabrera, 2020). This also helps in improving the level of
communication among the employee participation in the wellness programmes and to
achieve the sustainable goals and objectives of the company.
 Ensure proper allocation of work – Ensuring systematic allocation of work among the
employees of the company is necessary as it helps in making employees understand about
the working structure and nature of Sainsbury. It is the responsibility of the managers of
the company to allocate the resources optimally so that effective and substantial work can
be performed within the business for gaining increased profitability and growth.
Scheduling the work of employees according to their availability and standard working
hours will result in reducing distress and fatigue (Mulaney and et. al., 2021). This helps
15

in building a sense of work responsibility among the employees in order to increase their
working efficient and effectiveness to achieve the defined goals and objectives in the
business market. This is considered s the most effective strategy that helps in reducing
the level of absenteeism among the company and this helps in increasing the number of
customers and the share in the market.
 Helps in fostering team culture – Fostering team culture within the company helps in
developing a positive working culture for the employees so that they feel motivated and
inspired to achieve the predefined goals of Sainsbury. If the team of the company is
working in a coordinative and cooperative manner than they tend to reduce conflicts
among them so that work together to complete the following project on time (Smith and
et. al., 2019). Team collaboration helps employees in active brainstorming where opinion
of every employee and their perspective is given more importance. Bringing the team of
employees together and respecting every employee working in the company on a equal
level irrespective of their race, role and so on which result in inspiring them to work
effectively in contributing to the success of the company (Bhattacharya, 2019). Managers
of the company mainly focus on building team related activities for engaging the
employees in the decision making process for better decisions.
 Convey goals properly to the employees – Conveying goals of the company in an
effective manner to the employees of Sainsbury helps in making hem understand about
the main mission and vision of the company to be achieved for gaining high success in
the competitive market. It is important for the managers of the company to convey the
short term and long term gaols of the company in a clear manner so that they work
according and make effort for achieving the sustainable gaols. This helps in setting the
millstones for the employees that how hard they need to work and how they need to
execute their working for better productivity and profitability in the highly competitive
market. This helps in delivering good work for achieving the sustained aims and
objectives of the company for more attainable growth and for achieving the competitive
advantage over other competitor companies that exist in the present business market. Is
the responsibility of the managers of the company to make the employees feel important
and valued for the work they are performing for achieving high competitiveness in the
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market and for gaining more number of customer towards purchasing the products
offered by the company.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology can be defined as a process of specific techniques or procedures
that helps the researcher in identifying, choosing and processing the selected data on the research
topic or study. This section is considered as the most important part of the whole research as it
helps in determining the number of research related methods that helps in deriving effective
information (Basias and Pollalis, 2018). This includes philosophies, approaches, strategies,
choices, data collection methods that helps in collecting accurate and reliable information about
the selected topic. The research methodology helps the researcher in gaining detailed information
about the topic (Dźwigoł and Dźwigoł-Barosz, 2018). The researcher used Saunders onion
framework research for analysing and interpreting data and consists of various methods that are
defined below:
Research philosophy
Research philosophy is defined as the collection of certain beliefs and the nature of the
real situations which the researcher has collected information about the chosen topic. The
research philosophies are mainly classified into main parts that are primarily known as
positivism and interpretivism philosophies (Rinjit, 2020). In the following carried on current
investigation, the investigator has selected positivism philosophy as it helps in gaining sustained
information about the given topic. The main benefit of selecting positivism philosophy by the
investigator helps in calculating the quantitative information in a easy manner and have full
freedom to derive any type of information from the chosen research topic.
Research approach
Research approach can be defined as a systematic process of planning which researcher
used for testing the hypothesis and theories in an effective and scientific manner (Rutberg and
Bouikidis, 2018). Deductive and inductive approach are defined as the two types of research
approaches. Deductive approach has been selected by the researcher for carrying out the present
research in an effective manner as it helps in testing the hypothesis on the basis of numerical
information. The advantage of choosing deductive approach is that it helps in understanding and
analysing the data in a more cost effective manner as it results in gaining the goals and objectives
of the research.
Research strategy
18

Research strategy is defined as a step by step process action and plan that helps in
providing direction and guidance to the researcher for gaining the information according to the
their idea and thoughts (Rashid and Sipahi, 2021). Research strategy consists of different types
factors that helps the researcher in attaining detailed information about the chosen topic such as
focus group, questionnaire, interview, survey, systematic literature review, experimental research
and many more. In the current conducted investigation, the investigator has chosen survey
method for collecting accurate information from the numerical data. The benefit of choosing
survey method is that it helps in gathering quantitative data in a more precise manner.
Research choice
Research choice is considered as the most important factor of the research methodology that
helps in determining the type of data to be used for collecting detailed information about the
topic. There are two types of research choice that is qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative
data is more reliable and is used by the researcher for conducting the present research more
appropriately (Smith and et. al., 2020). The benefit of selecting this method by the researcher
helps in gathering and interpreting quantitative data that includes numerical facts and figures.
This method is the most cost effective as well as it requires less time for gathering and analysing
valuable information from the selected topic of research (Erro-Garcés and Alfaro-Tanco, 2020).
Data collection
Data collection can be defined as a process of collecting and examining the information
and data in a more scientific and effective manner. In the overall conducted research, this method
is considered as the most effective element of the research methodology as it defined the type of
data from which the information needed to be collected (Acharyya and Bhattacharya, 2019). The
information for any particular topic can be collected by two different methods that is primary and
secondary data. In the following carried on present research, the researcher has selected both the
methods of data collection that are primary and secondary data. The reason for selecting both the
methods is that it helps in collecting and interpreting detailed information about the topic from
different sources and authors.
Data analysis
Data analysis is defined as a tool of research that helps the researcher in analysing and
evaluating the raw or fresh data so that more valuable and useful information can be gained. This
will also help in achieving the goals and objectives of the research by using valid data and for
19

testing the hypothesis in an effective manner (Sileyew, 2019). There are different types of data
analysis techniques that are defined as frequency distribution and thematic and so on. In the
following conducted investigation, the investigator has selected frequency distribution technique
for completing the investigation in an effective manner. The benefit of selecting this type of
technique that helps the investigator in measuring the quantitative data on the topic related to the
research.
Time horizon
It can be defined as the time used by the researcher in order to collect and analyse
information for conducting the investigation in an effective manner. Time horizon can be
classified mainly in two types cross-sectional and longitudinal (Mertler, 2019). In the present
carried on investigation, the investigator has used cross-sectional time horizon as it helps in
gathering data in less period of time. The advantage of choosing this method is that it helps in
observing multiple forms variables in less time because it provides wide data. This also helps the
investigator in collecting accurate information about the selected research topic.
Sampling
Sampling can be defined as a technique that helps the researcher in taking out
information from the given sample for effective collection. Samples are generally taken out
from the large set of population and it is majorly divided into main parts that are defined as
probability and non-probability sampling method (Bauer and Scheim, 2019). In the present
research, the researcher has selected probability sampling method for deriving correct data from
the sample set. Under this, the researcher has selected random sampling method for choosing the
required respondents. The reason for selecting this type of method is that it helps in gathering
and interpreting information from the large set of sample which is easy to derive and calculate,
easily understandable also. 30 managers are chosen from the organisation.
20

RESULTS
In the current study, primary data is carried out with the help of instrument called.
Questionnaire has included certain close-ended questions so that information could be carried out
from them. MS-Excel is also used so that systematic presentation of gathered data could be
shown to readers.
Frequency Distribution Table
Q1) Do you think employees are one of the precious assets within
retail industry?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 3
c) May be 2
Q2) Do you think employees taking leave from their duties and
responsibilities create barriers in the path of success of Sainsbury's?
Frequency
a) Yes 24
b) No 4
c) May be 2
Q3) As per your perspective, what is the main factor that influence
employee absenteeism within Sainsbury's?
Frequency
a) No appreciation and reward 3
b) Mental health issues 4
c) Negative working environment 7
d) Family problems 5
e) Workplace harassment or bullying 6
f) Team and management issues 5
Q4) Do you think employees who are disengaged towards their
assigned roles and responsibilities are more likely to miss their work?
Frequency
21

a) Yes 24
b) No 4
c) Prefer not to say 2
Q5) Do you think above mentioned factors that influence employee
absenteeism put Sainsbury's to deal with challenges?
Frequency
a) Yes 22
b) No 5
c) May be 3
Q6) According to your knowledge, what is the main challenge that is
faced by Sainsbury's due to consistent absenteeism of workforce?
Frequency
a) Reduced performance and productivity 3
b) Decreased financial performance 5
c) Decreased motivation among remaining employees 6
d) Ineffective leadership 7
e) Unattained company's targets and objectives 4
f) Major chaos and conflicts 5
Q7) Do you think direct and indirect costs of Sainsbury's increase due
to consistent employee absenteeism in the workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 28
b) No 2
Q8) As per your opinion, how does direct cost of Sainsbury's increase
due to employee absenteeism?
Frequency
a) Wages and salaries paid to absent workforce 5
b) High-cost replacement employees 4
c) Overtime pay for remaining employees 6
22

d) Pay to temporary employees 8
e) Administrative costs to manage absenteeism 7
Q9) How does indirect costs of Sainsbury's rise due to staff
absenteeism?
Frequency
a) Poor quality of goods due to understaffing 8
b) Decreased productivity 7
c) Poor morale among staff due to overload of work 9
d) Excess manager time 6
Q10) According to your experience within Sainsbury's, what is the
implication of above mentioned challenges over organisational
performance?
Frequency
a) Positive implication 0
b) Negative implication 28
c) Neutral implication 2
Q11) According to your opinion, which strategy is more suitable and
preferable by you in the workplace of Sainsbury's to reduce employee
absenteeism?
Frequency
a) Improving workplace and employee well-being 3
b) Communicating goals properly and timely to each employee 4
c) Fostering team culture 5
d) Ensuring proper allocation of work 7
e) Offering remote work and flexible schedules 2
f) Understanding employee’s expectations 6
g) Providing rewards and appreciation 3
23

DISCUSSION
Data Interpretation
Question 1: Employees are one of the precious assets within retail industry
Q1) Do you think employees are one of the precious assets within
retail industry?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 3
c) May be 2
a) Yes b) No c) May be
0
5
10
15
20
25
25
3 2
Interpretation: As per the above recorded table, it is evaluated that 25 participants have
answered yes that employees are one of the precious assets within retail industry. Employees
always have the responsibility to carry out business functions and operations so it is determined
that their presence is quite important and significant. The other 3 participants have said no that
employees are not asset because there are other certain resources that carry out business
operations and functions. The rest 2 participants have said that whether employees are asset for a
company or not.
24

Question 2: Employees taking leave from their duties and responsibilities create barriers in the
path of success of Sainsbury's
Q2) Do you think employees taking leave from their duties and
responsibilities create barriers in the path of success of Sainsbury's?
Frequency
a) Yes 24
b) No 4
c) May be 2
a) Yes b) No c) May be
0
5
10
15
20
25
24
4
2
Interpretation: With the above assembled piece of information, it is analysed that 24 responders
have answered yes that employees taking leave from their duties and responsibilities create
barriers in the path of success of Sainsbury's. It is being observed that presence of employees is
necessary because they carry out operations effectively and efficiently. Another 4 participants
have answered no that employees taking leave do not create any barrier in the path of success.
The remaining 2 participants have said that they are not sure whether absence of employees
becomes barrier in the development and success of the organisation.
Question 3: Factor that influences employee absenteeism within Sainsbury's
25

Q3) As per your perspective, what is the main factor that influences
employee absenteeism within Sainsbury's?
Frequency
a) No appreciation and reward 3
b) Mental health issues 4
c) Negative working environment 7
d) Family problems 5
e) Workplace harassment or bullying 6
f) Team and management issues 5
a) No appreciation and reward
c) Negative working environment
e) Workplace harassment or bullying
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
4
7
5
6
5
Interpretation: According to the given graph, it is analysed that large number of representatives
have given response that negative working environment becomes the main factor that influences
employee absenteeism within Sainsbury's. Employees always get encouraged and motivated in
the workplace when they get positive environment. Positive environment is built when
expectations of employees are fulfilled but when expectations are not fulfilled, negative
environment is created. Negative environment makes employees to take leave from their work
and make decision of switching current company.
26

Question 4: Employees who are disengaged towards their assigned roles and responsibilities
are more likely to miss their work
Q4) Do you think employees who are disengaged towards their
assigned roles and responsibilities are more likely to miss their work?
Frequency
a) Yes 24
b) No 4
c) Prefer not to say 2
a) Yes b) No c) Prefer not to say
0
5
10
15
20
25
24
4
2
Interpretation: With the above recorded piece of information, it is analysed that 24 respondents
have answered yes that employees who are disengaged towards their assigned roles and
responsibilities are more likely to miss their work because they do not find any interest in their
work. Employees think that they are not getting apt roles and responsibilities which make them
disengaged towards their operations and work. The other 4 participants have said no that
disengaged employees are not more likely to miss their work as there are other employees who
also have personal issues that make them miss their work. The remaining 2 participants have said
that they do not want to respond to this specific question whether disengaged employees miss
their work or not.
27

Question 5: Factors that influence employee absenteeism put Sainsbury's to deal with
challenges
Q5) Do you think above mentioned factors that influence employee
absenteeism put Sainsbury's to deal with challenges?
Frequency
a) Yes 22
b) No 5
c) May be 3
a) Yes b) No c) May be
0
5
10
15
20
25 22
5
3
Interpretation: From the above assembled piece of information, it is understood that 22
participants have answered yes that mental health issues, disengagement of workforce are some
of the factors that influence absenteeism of employees in the organisation. When an employee
feel disengaged in the workplace then they make excuses to not show up at their work and they
take leave from their work frequently. Another 5 participants have answered no that these factors
not necessarily influence employee absenteeism in the workplace because it depends upon an
individual's attitude and behaviour. The rest participants have answered that they are not very
sure whether employee absenteeism is influenced by these factors or not.
Question 6: Challenge that is faced by Sainsbury's due to consistent absenteeism of workforce
28

Q6) According to your knowledge, what is the main challenge that is
faced by Sainsbury's due to consistent absenteeism of workforce?
Frequency
a) Reduced performance and productivity 3
b) Decreased financial performance 5
c) Decreased motivation among remaining employees 6
d) Ineffective leadership 7
e) Unattained company's targets and objectives 4
f) Major chaos and conflicts 5
a) Reduced performance and productivity
d) Ineffective leadership
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
5
6
7
4
5
Interpretation: With the above gathered data, it is recorded that large number of respondents
have answered that decreased motivation among remaining employees is the main challenge that
is faced by Sainsbury's due to consistent absenteeism of workforce. When employees take
consistent leave from their work then it increases pressure of work on remaining employees. This
also creates chaos in the organisation as remaining employees think that they do not leave from
their work.
Question 7: Direct and indirect costs of Sainsbury's increase due to consistent employee
absenteeism in the workplace
29

Q7) Do you think direct and indirect costs of Sainsbury's increase due
to consistent employee absenteeism in the workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 28
b) No 2
a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
30 28
2
Interpretation: As per the assembled piece of information, it is analysed that 28 respondents
have answered yes that direct and indirect costs of Sainsbury's increase due to consistent
employee absenteeism in the workplace. The other participants have said no that it does not
increase any costs for the company.
Question 8: Direct cost of Sainsbury's increases due to employee absenteeism
Q8) As per your opinion, how does direct cost of Sainsbury's increase
due to employee absenteeism?
Frequency
a) Wages and salaries paid to absent workforce 5
b) High-cost replacement employees 4
c) Overtime pay for remaining employees 6
d) Pay to temporary employees 8
30

e) Administrative costs to manage absenteeism 7
a) Wages and salaries paid to absent workforce
d) Pay to temporary employees
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
5
4
6
8
7
Interpretation: As per the collected data, it is clearly understood that large number of
participants have said that pay to temporary employees is one of the direct costs of company that
increase due to employee absenteeism. Temporary employees are appointed in the organisation
so that work of absent employees could be easily managed. These temporary employees also
charge great amount of pay for their work in the organisation.
Question 9: Indirect costs of Sainsbury's rise due to staff absenteeism
Q9) How does indirect costs of Sainsbury's rise due to staff
absenteeism?
Frequency
a) Poor quality of goods due to understaffing 8
b) Decreased productivity 7
c) Poor morale among staff due to overload of work 9
d) Excess manager time 6
31

0
2
4
6
8
8 7
9
6
Interpretation: With the above analysed data, it is observed that 8 participants have answered
that poor quality of goods due to understaffing is one of the indirect costs of the company which
increase due to staff absenteeism. Goods get manufactured but due to employees shortage they
get produced with low quality. Low quality products and commodities do not attract customers
and make company to face financial crisis. The other 7 participants have answered that decreased
productivity is another result of increased cost as when employees take leave from their work
without any reason then it creates burden on remaining employees and due to extra work their
efficiency gets decreased. The other 9 participants have said that poor morale among employees
because they get additional work other than their assigned work. This creates delay in their
accomplishment of tasks and activities. The rest 6 participants have said that excess manager
time is other indirect cost to the company as they have to work extra.
Question 10: Implication of above mentioned challenges over organisational performance
Q10) According to your experience within Sainsbury's, what is the
implication of above mentioned challenges over organisational
performance?
Frequency
a) Positive implication 0
b) Negative implication 28
32

c) Neutral implication 2
a) Positive implication b) Negative implication c) Neutral implication
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0
28
2
Interpretation: With the above shown graph, it is analysed that 28 participants have answered
that there is negative implication of various challenges over organisational performance. When
employees are discouraged in the organisation then they take consistently leave from their
assigned job roles and responsibilities and operations of the company remain unattained. This
makes objectives of the organisation unattained and performance of the company get decreased.
The remaining 2 participants have answered that they are neutral about these challenges because
remaining employees who are working in the organisation take responsibility and focus over
decreasing the impact of these challenges on business operations and functions.
Question 11: Strategy is more suitable and preferable by you in the workplace of Sainsbury's
to reduce employee absenteeism
Q11) According to your opinion, which strategy is more suitable and
preferable by you in the workplace of Sainsbury's to reduce employee
absenteeism?
Frequency
a) Improving workplace and employee well-being 3
b) Communicating goals properly and timely to each employee 4
33

c) Fostering team culture 5
d) Ensuring proper allocation of work 7
e) Offering remote work and flexible schedules 2
f) Understanding employee’s expectations 6
g) Providing rewards and appreciation 3
0
2
4
6
3
4
5
7
2
6
3
Interpretation: From the above assembled piece of information, it is being understood that major
number of participants have answered that ensuring proper allocation of work is the strategy
which is more suitable and preferable in the workplace of Sainsbury's to reduce employee
absenteeism because it assists in clarity of work. When work is clearly given to employees then
they actively take participation in their assigned work and take less leave from their assigned job
roles and responsibilities. Another set of participants have answered that understanding
employee expectations is another strategy because it helps in giving work and operations to
employees as per their preference.
34

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Concept of employee absenteeism within the context of retail industry
As per the above assembled data in the section of literature review, it is analysed that
absenteeism is one of the terms which highlights the non-presence of employees operating in a
company. Habitual and consistent non-presence of employees create negative impact over
business operations and productivity of the organisation. There are many reasons that influence
absenteeism in the workplace are: job dissatisfaction, chronic medical challenges and ongoing
personal challenges (Kesavan and et. al., 2022). An individual working in the organisation takes
consistent leave from their work make an organisation to face several challenges and issues.
Employees are one of the significant assets for retail brands because they are responsible to carry
out business operations and activities. When employees are absent from their work then
operations and activities of the organisation remain unattained and unachieved. Some of the
causes that increase the chances of employee absenteeism in the workplace are: medical and
healthcare absences, force majeure issues, demoralisation & stress, family & personal reasons,
high employee turnover, lack of leadership & bad management, accidents & risks in the
workplace and many more (Hassink, 2018). The most common reason of employee absenteeism
in the workplace is medical issue and this is the case which an employee can not avoid. Health is
one of the priorities of an individual and for this every organisation gives number of leaves.
Thus, employee absenteeism is one of the factors that contribute in the downfall of the
organisation.
Factors that influence employee absenteeism within an organisation
With the recorded data in the chapter of literature review, it is understood that frequent
employee absenteeism in the organisation is one of the biggest challenges. Employees are the
individuals who have the responsibility to carry out business operations, however when they
continuous leave then it may disturb the business operations and functions. In an organisation,
there are several situations occur that influence an employee to take leave from their assigned
operations and roles. Some of the reasons include: misuse of seniority, mental health stress, lack
of working schedule, low employee engagement and many more. Companies focus on
decreasing employee absenteeism by simply understanding the expectations and preferences of
employees in the workplace and many more (Nevicka and et. al., 2018). With the purpose of
controlling employee absenteeism in the workplace, leaders and managers need to focus on
35

making clear attendance policy, offering support, decreasing stress in the workplace, reducing
burden of the work, offering competitive rewards and many more. Some of the several factors
that majorly influence employee absenteeism in the business are: mental health issues, negative
working environment, management and team challenges, workplace bullying and harassment and
many more. One of the major reasons of employee absenteeism is when employees do not feel
motivated and encouraged in the workplace (Mitchell and et. al., 2020). This is the major reason
as they do not find any good reason to show up at their work and continue with their assigned
roles and responsibilities. The other major reason is when staff does not get right rewards and
appreciation for their continuous efforts in the workplace. Rewards are known as one of the
factors that generally keep employee engaged towards their work and operations.
Challenges faced by Sainsbury due to consistent employee absenteeism and its impact on
organisation performance
As per the gathered information in the section of literature review, it is examined that
employee absenteeism is one of the challenges that an organisation consistently face. It impacts
productivity and performance of remaining workforce and becomes barrier in the path of
attaining company's goals, targets and objectives. When large number of employees take leave
from the organisation then it increases the costs of the organisation and also creates burden on
existing workforce (Ali Shah and et. al., 2020). Some of the challenges faced by Sainsbury's due
to consistent employee absenteeism are: reduced productivity & performance, decreased
motivation among employees, decreased financial performance and so on. When staff takes
regular off from their work then it reduces the motivation level of existing employees in the
workplace. Remaining employee get discouraged when they get burden of work and directly it
reduces the interest of employees towards their assigned operations and activities (Kossek and
Lee, 2020). The productivity and performance of employees get decreased when other employee
working in the organisation take unplanned leave. Thus, it creates frustration and dissatisfaction
among employees and create negative working environment in the workplace. Another challenge
is decrease in financial performance of the company due to increase in direct and indirect costs
of the organisation. Direct cost is increased in the organisation by paying additional pay to
temporary workers, giving pay to existing employees for their additional efforts and many more.
Indirect costs of the organisation get increased due to poor quality production, decreased
36

customer service and many more. Therefore, all these challenges of employee absenteeism
creates negative impact over organisational performance and productivity.
Strategies implemented by Sainsbury in order to reduce employee absenteeism within their
organisation
With the above assembled information in the section of literature review, it is understood
that it is quite significant for an organisation to decrease the employee absenteeism rate so that
business operations and functions of the company could be continued. The company such as
Sainsbury's focus over employee well-being, satisfaction and engagement in the workplace. With
the motive of gaining more growth in the organisation satisfaction of employees is necessary so
that they do not take leave from their work and continue with their assigned business roles and
responsibilities (Utami and et. al., 2021). It is quite significant for an organisation to focus over
delivering positive working culture for employees so that they can attain their desired objectives
and goals for the company. It is essential for an organisation to provide continuous guidance and
support to employees so that they can continue their work without any anxiety or stress (Taylor,
2020). Thus, the best way for motivating and encouraging employees in the workplace is
providing remote work and flexible working hours to each employee so that they can do their
best for attaining own goals as well as company's goals.
37

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
It has been concluded from the above gathered information that employee absenteeism is
the major problem that hinders the growth and success of the company in the highly competitive
business market. It basically means that the workers are not giving their presence at the
workplace and this put other employees in problem as they have to do the work of them also.
This non-presence of employees from the workplace results in creating a negative environment
for workers that effects the overall performance and productivity of employees towards
achieving the defined aims and goals of the company. The employees leaving the organisation
without giving any sustained reason and not coming to the office for more days is the reason that
they are not feeling comfortable in working towards achieving success for the company in the
long run. It is the responsibility of the employees to give employees the feeling that they are
doing great work and are valuable for the company as they are helping in increasing the
profitability. These reasons of not getting employees retained in the company is considered as
the major problem and this results in increased absenteeism which reduces the overall
productivity of the business. It is important for the company to deliver sustained practices in the
company in order to make the employees feel comfortable for engaging in the working activities
of the business. Employee absenteeism occurs within the organisation because of several reasons
such as due to high work pressure, not getting support from the superiors, no appraisal and
growth in the company or due to high stress or anxiety. It has also been evaluated that it is
necessary for the company to motivate employees in a positive manner so that they feel valued
for performing the working tasks allotted by the managers in an effective manner. The company
further faces several challenges also due to the increased employee absenteeism within the
business and this results in decreasing the level of profitability and growth in the market because
employees are the only individuals that help in attaining the set vision and mission. Decreased
motivation among employees results in reducing the working efficiency and capability to achieve
the goals and this is the major reason for absenteeism in the working culture. It is very important
for the managers of the company to take care of their employees in an effective manner and
listen to their problems to provide them sustained solutions. There are different type of effective
strategies that help the organisation in reducing the impact of employee absenteeism within the
business as it helps in improving the operations of the business and to motivate employees. By
38

giving remote work to employees is the most strong strategy that helps in increasing their morale
and motivate them to work properly for gaining high competitive advantage over competitor
companies. Thus, it is necessary for the company managers to engage employees within the
business activities and decision making process efficiently so that they work towards
accomplishing the working tasks or projects in a given time period.
Recommendation
Addressing the challenges faced by company in order to reduce the absenteeism among
employees so that productivity and performance can be improved. It is important for the
managers of the company to reduce the level of employee absenteeism within the business so
that they work with high efficiency and effectiveness for gaining more growth. In order to make
employees happy and motivated, it is important for the company managers to promote high
success in the competitive market. Employee absenteeism is a main problem faced by employees
which hinders the business operations of the company and this creates a non working
environment for other employees as more work burden is imposed on them which often results in
high stress among them. It is recommended to the company managers that they must:
Provide rewards and appreciation to employees – It is recommended to the company that the
manager must offer effective and attractive rewards to the employees for their best work so that
they feel that they are valuable for the business and are provided with equal freedom in
perceiving their thoughts. Appreciating employees for their hard work is also important as this
helps in increasing the level of efficiency and capability to words towards achieving the
objectives of the company.
Training and developing employees – It is important for managers of the company to provide
effective training to employees in order to gain knowledge and skills of the topic so that they do
the work quickly and for attaining high success and profitability in the competitive business
market. Developing employees for the work they need to perform helps in understanding about
their roles and responsibilities to do for getting the best work done by them. So training and
developing employees plays a very important role in improving the productivity and profitability
of the business.
Encouraging engagement of employees – Engaging employees in the company is very
important because it helps in reducing the rate of employee absenteeism within the business. It is
important for the company managers to engage employees in interesting working activities so
39

that employee feel motivated and encouraged to work more effectively towards accomplishing
the given object with time. This helps in improving their performance and their productivity to
work in the company so that good results can be obtained in the competitive market. Highly
engaged employees tends to be more productive and are more participative in every activity and
helps in increasing their working capability.
Creating a positive working environment – The managers of the company must focus on
creating a positive working environment for employees in order to improve their working
performance and productivity. Positive working environment creates a effective and efficient
employees that helps in gaining high productivity and profitability for the company in the
competitive market. This enhances the performance of employees so that they achieve high
market share and large number of customers within the company and for retaining and engaging
them within the business market for more period of time.
40

REFLECTION
I am very thankful that I have got the opportunity to conduct the research project on the
topic related to employee absenteeism and its importance related to the improve the overall
performance and productivity of employees in achieving the predefined objectives of the
company. This has been analysed that employee absenteeism is the major factor of the company
so that predetermined goals can be achieved. I also get to know about the effect of employee
absenteeism in the company in order to provide strategies for better development in the highly
competitive environment. It also helps me in gaining knowledge about my career to continue in
the company so that I work in the business with high efficiency and effectiveness for gaining
high growth and success in the business market. I have managed the present research by using
my strong communication skills, analytical skills, research skills, writing skills, presentation
skills and so on. By having string communication skills I have gathered data from the
respondents in order to maintain their responses in a proper manner. I have also collected the
detailed information about the topic from different sources in precise manner which results in
increasing my knowledge and skills to continue for gaining academic growth. While conducting
this research I have also faced several issues like time management skill and not having
appropriate sources for data collection. It is very important for me to gather the information
within the given time frame so that proper information can be interpreted by me in less cost and
time.
41

REFERENCES
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Antony, M.R., 2018. Paradigm shift in employee engagement–A critical analysis on the drivers
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Management, 10(2), pp.32-46.
Bains, S. and Chitrao, P. V., 2020. Stress as a factor of employee absenteeism at workplace in IT
sector, India. International Journal of Modern Agriculture, 9(3), pp.1531-1548.
Basias, N. and Pollalis, Y., 2018. Quantitative and qualitative research in business & technology:
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44

APPENDIX
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you think employees are one of the precious assets within retail industry?
a) Yes
b) No
c) May be
Q2) Do you think employees taking leave from their duties and responsibilities create barriers
in the path of success of Sainsbury's?
a) Yes
b) No
c) May be
Q3) As per your perspective, what is the main factor that influence employee absenteeism
within Sainsbury's?
a) No appreciation and reward
b) Mental health issues
c) Negative working environment
d) Family problems
e) Workplace harassment or bullying
f) Team and management issues
Q4) Do you think employees who are disengaged towards their assigned roles and
responsibilities are more likely to miss their work?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Prefer not to say
Q5) Do you think above mentioned factors that influence employee absenteeism put Sainsbury's
to deal with challenges?
a) Yes
b) No
c) May be
Q6) According to your knowledge, what is the main challenge that is faced by Sainsbury's due
45

to consistent absenteeism of workforce?
a) Reduced performance and productivity
b) Decreased financial performance
c) Decreased motivation among remaining employees
d) Ineffective leadership
e) Unattained company's targets and objectives
f) Major chaos and conflicts
Q7) Do you think direct and indirect costs of Sainsbury's increase due to consistent employee
absenteeism in the workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
Q8) As per your opinion, how does direct cost of Sainsbury's increase due to employee
absenteeism?
a) Wages and salaries paid to absent workforce
b) High-cost replacement employees
c) Overtime pay for remaining employees
d) Pay to temporary employees
e) Administrative costs to manage absenteeism
Q9) How does indirect costs of Sainsbury's rise due to staff absenteeism?
a) Poor quality of goods due to understaffing
b) Decreased productivity
c) Poor morale among staff due to overload of work
d) Excess manager time
Q10) According to your experience within Sainsbury's, what is the implication of above
mentioned challenges over organisational performance?
a) Positive implication
b) Negative implication
c) Neutral implication
Q11) According to your opinion, which strategy is more suitable and preferable by you in the
workplace of Sainsbury's to reduce employee absenteeism?
a) Improving workplace and employee well-being
46

b) Communicating goals properly and timely to each employee
c) Fostering team culture
d) Ensuring proper allocation of work
e) Offering remote work and flexible schedules
f) Understanding employee’s expectations
g) Providing rewards and appreciation
47