Absence management.
Wise employers are aware that when workers aren’t at their jobs as expected, the resulting lack of productivity can cost them big bucks: According to a Gallup study done this year, absences–for reasons from sick days to time off for injuries–cost the U.S. economy nearly $300 billion a year.
But now a new element impacting worker productivity is being debated on the factory production line:
Bathroom breaks.
Many people–and I was one of them–were surprised to learn last year that Jim Beam, a unit of Lincolnshire-based Fortune Brands Inc., had clamped down on the number of bathroom breaks 100 bottling workers at its Clermont, Ky., distillery could take. Workers were limited to four breaks for each shift and were told violations might result in dismissal, which made the employees involved very unhappy.
To the relief of its workers, the order finally was rescinded voluntarily by Jim Beam in September, after union protests and a hearing by the state of Kentucky.
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Federal work rules on the issue are murky. In 1998, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released an interpretative memo stating employers should give workers “timely access” to facilities. What exactly timely access constitutes has largely been left to companies to interpret.
Is limiting bathroom breaks an effective way to boost productivity? Unfortunately, according to one expert, not only is it not the answer to improving productivity and getting employees to remain at the job–the shortsighted restriction might instead lower productivity further.
“Such policies weaken employee commitment to management, which often translates into increased absences,” said Mike Scofield, senior vice president of customer solutions for Nucleus Solutions, an absence management company located in Arlington, Va. It also has an office in Deerfield.
“The bathroom break rule is an example of what we see too often–where managers attempt to control all aspects of employee behavior,” said Scofield, whose firm helps employers understand and deal with unscheduled absences. “Overly restrictive policies limit the employee’s sense of value and contribution to the company.”
The executive, who has a doctorate in psychology, puts it this way: “What went wrong was trying to solve a problem by attempting to have control of employees’ bladders–rather than finding out why employees weren’t more invested in getting the product out the door nor more committed to getting the job done.”
Jim Beam isn’t the only company that didn’t understand the dynamics of the situation: It just was the one caught in the spotlight of adverse publicity. “Employees need to feel they’re valued, respected and have some control over their lives,” said Scofield, who says his company “helps employers and employees build workplaces to which people want to come each day.”
His advice to employers: “Instead of thinking control, think about how you can engage your employees more in your common cause.”
His advice to employees: “When you feel managers are imposing too many restrictions on your freedom of movement, speak up.”
And wash your hands before returning to work.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Tuesday’s Business and Wednesday’s Working sections. She is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want” (Wiley, $16.95). Send e-mail to [email protected].