the job, This

Another of the main reasons for
involuntary absenteeism is the em-
ployment of women workers who
have problems relating to house-
hold duties, child care, shopping
and services. Experts report that
the increase in absenteeism is due
not so much to morale or voluntary
reasons, as to increased illness and
accidents. Efforts are being made
to impress upon workers the im-
portance of the work they are do-
ing, The International Woodwork-
ers of America is doing its part in
urging its members to refrain from
voluntarily absenting themselves,
but that alone will not solve the
problem. It must be made clear
that the greatest number of ab-
sentees appears for reasons beyond
the control of the worker, In-
dustry or the government must
take steps to correct these causes.
Worker welfare must be protected
if involuntary absence is to be re-
duced,

The ilirfess rate of women is
greater than that of men. In the
year 1940, the United States Public
Health Service reported that sick-
ness and non-industrial injuries
lasting 8 or more days, were more
frequent among women. 153 out of
every 1,000 women were ill or in-
jured against 96 our of every 1,000
men. This builds up the absenting
rate considerably. 5

‘A good industrial health program
and provision for health facilities
in industrial plants will go a long
way to reducing absenteeism from
this cause. Women must carry on
their household duties..When chil-
dren become ill at home, someone
must stay with them. Satisfactory
day care must be provided, even
for healthy children, if women are
expected to do their best work,
The need for them to shop and
cook for the family, as well as
carry on a full-time job, is a
dual responsibility. Shortages of
various types of food are becom-
ing more extensive. In order for
a housewife to prepare a balanced
meal, she must spend a consider-
able amount of time shopping
around for proper foods. These re-
sponsibilities and duties make for
great fatigue among women. This
accounts for greater illness and
absence rate among them than
among men, 3

MATERIAL SHORTAGES,

A shortage of materials results
indirectly in absenteeism. The
work schedule is reduced by faulty
allocation of materials to war
plants. Many plants throughout the
country are hoarding labor. Em-
ployers justify the maintenance of
fan excess number of workers on
the payroll on the ground that
there are sufficient orders to keep
the war plant working at full speed
as soon as the materials become
available, Howeyer, waiting around
for work develops a lax attitude
towards the necessity of being on
laxity, inspired
through no reason of the employee,

April 19, 1943

e B.C. LUMBER ee

- Absenteeism: The Caus

By HAROLD PRITCHETT, Pres. IWA District Council

Judging from reports coming in from various sections of the country, the rate of worker-
absenteeism in industry is increasing. Absenteeism results from either voluntary or involun-
tary reasons. Voluntary absenteeism results when the individual worker remains away from
work with no justifiable reason. In this category are the following: Absence after payday;
absence due to lack of interest—that is, low worker morale; absence for shopping, fishing,
movies, etc.; absence because money income is not needed. Involuntary absenteeism ‘results
when the worker is not on the job for-reasons which are beyond his control. Responsibility
for this are such factors as inadequate transportation, unsatisfactory housing facilities, use of
older workers, illness, long work week, no eating facilities in plants or towns, greater fatigue.

frequentnly causes absenteeism.
HOUSING, © :

Employment is increased in in-
dustrial plants without much re-
gard to favorable housing facili-
ties: for workers. A great many
of the workers have to migrate to
other areas for war industry jobs,
Inadequate houses for these new
communnities means that families
must be left at home. Employees
must, leave their families and live
in cheap hotels, if there are any,
or in rooming houses. A man liv-
ing in a rooming-house far from
home, has a natural desire to see
his family from time to time. Un-
less provisions are made for fre-
quent visits home, it can be ex-
pected that absence from work will
occur, No man wants to live away
from his family; consequently his
living in boarding houses and over-
crowded hotels means spending
considerable time trying to find
a suitable home,

Some workers bring their fami-
lies with them, regardless of the
available facilities, The undesir-
ability of living in these conditions
is clearly seen, Illness due to over-
crowded conditions, inadequate
plumbing and lack of housing play
a great part in the increasing rate
of absenteeism. The building of
dormitories in our factories will
not entirely solve the problem.
Proper distribution and allocation
of government contracts to com-
munities where plant facilities,
house facilities andn workers are
available.

TRANSPORTATION.

Some workers choose to com-
mute each day. The distance trav-
elled by these people varies from
5 to 50 miles a day, To travel this
distance may sometimes take as
long as three hours. The day be-
comes long’and tedious. When this
amount is added to the worker's
hours, resulting in fatigue, lost
time, less time for the family and
for shopping, rest and recreation,
it tends to increase absenteeism.

Some workers travel in car
pools. They rely on tires, gasoline,
automobile repairs, etc, all of
which are becoming increasingly
difficult problems. Inability to re-
pair a car or secure a tire means
that the car carrying four or five
workers will not make the trip;
therefore these workers are absent
through no fault of their own.
Sometimes the driver may be ill;
this means that five workers are
absent instead of one. Perhaps they
can provide themselves with pub-
lic transportation; perhaps not.

Close examination of public
transportation facilities in most
of our industrial communities show
that they are so overcrowded and

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overtaxed that a great many peo-
ple are discouraged from travelling
in this way. Fatigue is increased
when a worker has to stand on
a bus or train for 30 minutes to
an hour or more. This may re-
sult in hjs taking a day off to
rest up.

age age of workers in industrial
plants is gradually increasing, As
the average age increases, it can.
be anticipated that the degree of!
absenteeism will necessarily rise.
ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES.

A great many days each’ year
aré lost due to accidents or in-
juries while on the job. These lost
days-are also a part of the ab-
senteeism reports, Inadequate safe-
ty .programs by management, and
the failure to support and pro-
mote safety campaigns, causes in-
creased accident rates; therefore
higher absenteeism..The promotion
of safety cainpaigns would go a

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INCREASED WORK WEEK.

As working hours are increased,
absenteeism is bound to increase.
The fatigue factor becomes quite
important as hours are increased
beyond 48 to 54 or 60 hours. The
worker's inability to maintain. a
54-hour week schedule over a long
period of time has been shown in
studies initiated by the - British
government ovér the past twenty
years, The most successful. work
week has been found to be between
40 and 48 hours, depending on the
operation. Work beyond this limit
means increased absence.

USE OF OLDER WORKERS.
Some degree of absenteeism re-
sults in’ the use of older workers,
who cannot work long hours and
cannot take much hard work, Ab-
senteeism tends to be higher among
older workers, increasing especial-
ly after 40 or 50 years, Young men
are being drawn into the armed
forees, as it should be. The aver-

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long way toward reducing rates
of accidents on the job.

ILLNESS.

In recent weeks doctors have re-
ported an extensive epidemic of
colds. Nothing as widespread as
this.epidemic has occurred in this
country since the flu epidemic in
the last war. However, absence re-
sulting from Illness increases the
rate of absenteeism. Plant health
programs, extension of community
health service, and the elimination
of health hazards, would help con-
siderably to reduce illness.

Another important problem in
this connection Is the insufficiency
of doctors in the community, due
to the large number now being
called into the armed services, Ex-
perts say that one big cause of
absenteeism lies in permitting men
and women who are feeling badly

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to continue working. In many cases,
if the worker was sent home for
a day, he would not be home for
a week or two, Also, the accident
rate is accelerated when half-sick
people are permitted to operate -
machines. Bad housing, inadequate
transportation, poor eating facili-
ties, dual and triple home respon-
sibilities of women all contribute
to increased illness. It is estim-
ated that illness is one of the
main causes of absenteeism. Elim-
ination of the above causes would
substantially reduce absence.
SUMMARY.

Inconveniences, discomforts, un-
satisfied wants caused by war,
changes of normal food, shelter
and clothing, all contribute to
workers being absent from the job.

Involuntary absenteeism can be
reduced by providing better hous-
ing and transportation “facilities,
day care for children, health and
safety programs, properly planned
production schedules and available
shopping facilities for women
workers.

Voluntary absenteeism can be
reduced by educating the worker
to understand that absenteeism is
a serious hindrance to the war ef-
fort and can only help Hitler,

It is of the utmost importance
that Canadian workers be helped
to stay on the job and to do their
work unhindered by worrles, ill-
ness or low morale.

Doris Hartley
On CBC, April 22

On April 22, 1943, at 10 a.m, Mrs,
Doris Hartley will be, interviewed
by Mrs, Alice Hemyting on the
CBC program, “Morning Visit.”
Subject of the interview will be
“The National Consumers’ League”
and the “Consumers’ Information
Bureau.”

It is proposed that a branch of
the National Consumers’ League of
Canada be established in Van-
couver, and to this end a con-
ference has been called for April
29 in the YMCA at 8 pm. by the
Housewives’ League. The objec-
tives of the National League are:

1. To represent, promote andn
protect the interests of ultimate
consumers, over-riding all . par-
tisanship along political, sectional,
religious and other dividing lines.

2. To develop and promote con-
sumer education at all school and
adult levels, teaching the individ-
ual consumer his leading role in
a democratic economy.

3, To present to Canada at war,
a plan for a post-war consumer
economy of abundance and secur-
ity as an objective which will vital-
ize our efforts toward total war
and guarantee our early and com-
plete. victory.”

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Stop at

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