Decreasing Chronic Absenteeism Among Institutional Staff

The effects of a behavioral attendance program on the amount of absences of 15 chronic attendance abusers in a state institution were investigated. The program involved three primary components of low monetary cost: systematic supervisory counseling with each staff member, commendation letters for criterion-achieved attendance levels, and a behavioral lottery system. The program was implemented on two workshifts in multiple baseline fashion and was accompanied by absentee reductions for the majority of staff on each shift. In total, 11 of the 15 chronically absent staff reduced their absenteeism during the program, although considerable variability across individual staff was observed. Results are discussed regarding the need for effective, low cost procedures for reducing absenteeism in state institutions and the advantages of focusing on those staff persons exhibiting chronic absenteeism.