The Impact of a Change in an Attendance Control System on Absenteeism and Tardiness

This study examined the effectiveness of a change in an attendance control policy in reducing absenteeism and tardiness. The organization under investigation, a medium-sized manufacturing facility, had established a stricter disciplinary system than it had utilized previously, and then three months later implemented an incentive system consisting of cash awards contingent on attendance. A within group analysis of changes in the rcentages of absenteeism over a 204 week period. cuntrolling season and holidays and correcting for autocorrelation, showed that for a cohort group of 306 employees, absenteeism decreased once the incentive system was added.