1. August 16, 2011 SHRM Poll: Managing Employee Absences

3. How do organizations categorize employee absences in the workplace? Of the organizations that track employee absences, almost all (87%) separate absences by unplanned leave (e.g., sick days, FMLA leave), planned absences (e.g., vacations, holidays, FMLA leave) and/or extended leave (e.g., short-term disability, FMLA leave, workers’ compensation leave).

4. What proportion of organizations track the indirect costs, such as overtime and the need for temporary workers, caused by employee absences? More than one-half of organizations do not track the indirect costs from employees’ unplanned (61%) or extended (53%) absences.

6. Does your absence program separate employee absences by unplanned absences (e.g., sick days, FMLA leave), planned absences (e.g., vacations, holidays, FMLA leave) and/or extended absences (e.g., short-term disability, FMLA leave, workers’ comp leave)? 4 Note: n = 229. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

7. Does your organization track the indirect costs (e.g., temporary workers, overtime, business disruption, lags in product delivery, customer satisfaction) of unplanned absences and extended absences? 5 Note: n = 226. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis.

8. Generally speaking, how concerned is senior management at your organization about the indirect costs of unplanned absences and extended absences? 6 Note: n = 277. Respondents who answered “not sure” were excluded from this analysis.

9. How regularly do applicable staff (e.g., line managers, HR) at your organization receive training and/or updates on the latest legal and administrative developments in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) or other leave laws? 7 n = 275

10. Demographics: Organization Industry 8 n = 302

11. Demographics: Organization Industry (continued) 9 n = 302

12. Demographics: Organization Sector 10 n = 296

13. Demographics: Organization Staff Size 11 Note: n = 287. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.

14. Demographics: Other 12

16. Sample composed of 302 randomly selected HR professionals from SHRM’s membership

17. Margin of error +/- 5%

18. Survey fielded June 9th to June 22nd, 2011For more poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research SHRM Poll: Managing Employee Absences