absenteeism

noun

ab·sen·tee·ism | \ ˌab-sən-ˈtē-ˌi-zəm

Definition of absenteeism

1 : prolonged absence of an owner from his or her property

2 : chronic absence (as from work or school) also : the rate of such absence

Examples of absenteeism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Indian education system is anyway plagued by subpar funding and infrastructure, rampant absenteeism among underpaid and under-qualified teachers, and high student-teacher ratios, among other things. — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "Indian students can’t let go of business and engineering even in the UK," 14 June 2019 Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia included chronic absenteeism as a measurement in the new accountability standards under the law, according to FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University. — Tawnell D. Hobbs, WSJ, "Schools Crack Down as More Students Cut Class," 30 Aug. 2018 Schools shut anywhere from one day to a week due to widespread absenteeism as administrators tried to stop the spread of the virus and disinfect buildings. — WSJ, "Immigration, Mueller Probe Boosted U.S. Tensions This Year," 18 Dec. 2018 Schools, colleges and universities in the Washington region should join forces with regional leaders to take a hard look at the social factors that contribute to so much absenteeism and that undermine academic achievement. — Patricia Mcguire, Washington Post, "After the scandals, what happens to public school students in college?," 1 Mar. 2018 Constant student anxiety Over 20 percent of today’s teenage students experience a form of acute anxiety leading to disengagement, more absenteeism, and isolation. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "Ten problems teachers did not have to deal with a decade ago," 18 Apr. 2018 Privacy - Terms Expanding Loads of Love could help address the chronic absenteeism that has plagued Kansas City Public Schools. — The Kansas City Star Editorial Board, kansascity, "Expand Loads of Love laundry program to address chronic absenteeism in KC public schools," 22 Mar. 2018 School absenteeism fell slightly, but cases of flulike illness in long-term care facilities rose. — Stacey Burling, Philly.com, "There's good news about flu in Pennsylvania and New Jersey," 28 Feb. 2018 The movie had a troubled production history, with director Bryan Singer fired and replaced by Dexter Fletcher a few weeks before the shoot ended, reportedly due to a temperamental personality and chronic absenteeism. — Noel Murray, The Verge, "For the real Bohemian Rhapsody, stream the best recorded Queen concert this weekend," 2 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'absenteeism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

25 Jun 2019

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The first known use of absenteeism was in 1829

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More Definitions for absenteeism

absenteeism

noun

Financial Definition of absenteeism

What It Is

In the business world, absenteeism refers to the rate at which employees do not arrive for work as scheduled.

How It Works

Company XYZ is a health care provider. It has 25 nurses who are each responsible for seeing 10 patients a day. Every day, one or two nurses are not at work due to vacation or sickness. However, in the past month absenteeism has risen. Now, four or five nurses are often missing for the day, putting a severe strain on the nurses who do come to work, increasing the wait times for patients, and increasing the number of medical errors the nurses are making.

Why It Matters

Absenteeism increases costs and lowers profits because it reduces productivity and often work quality. A similar problem, presenteeism, occurs when employees choose to stay at work but handle personal and family issues at their desks rather than working. Many forms of absenteeism are protected by law (such as family leave under FMLA). Often, however, absenteeism can increase when workers feel stressed. U.S. companies lose billions due to chronic employee absenteeism.

Source: Investing Answers

absenteeism

noun