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
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Recent Examples of absenteeism from the Web
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Among the signs of a toxic workplace: constant turnover, high absenteeism, lack of positive feedback and growth opportunities, bullying, increased demands and incompetent or abusive leadership.
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For instance, a principal would get a report on school attendance that would highlight students prone to absenteeism so counselors could start making phone calls.
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Misbehavior, meager test scores and absenteeism were persistent before the day some fourth-graders cut their arms in a gang initiation.
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The rating system is based on various factors, including surveys of parents and teachers and the rate of absenteeism.
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The goal, Paino said, is not just to measure chronic absenteeism but to encourage schools to improve student attendance, too.
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The city effort focused on preparing children for kindergarten, reducing chronic absenteeism and increasing participation in summer reading programs.
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Second, combat chronic absenteeism by supporting parents to overcome obstacles that keep kids away from critical days of instruction.
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As late as May 12, Naperville schools were reporting slightly higher student absenteeism as the result of influenza-like symptoms compared to neighboring school districts, county records show.
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.
Origin and Etymology of absenteeism
Other Business Terms
Financial Definition of ABSENTEEISM
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.
ABSENTEEISM Defined for English Language Learners
absenteeism
playDefinition of absenteeism for English Language Learners
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: a tendency to be away from work or school without a good reason : the practice or habit of being absent from work or school
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