LAUSR

A detailed analysis of the measured absenteeism data for employees in a forensic science laboratory (FSL) is presented. About 134 employees out of 172 were used as a sample. The factors assumed to affect absenteeism included differences in gender, departments/units, period of the year, skill-levels and professions. The data were collected throughout a calendar year, using a biometric system infrastructure incorporating fingerprint capturing device, IP camera, database server and software (Bio Star Version 1.62). The calendar was used to establish the total working days and hours while employee absenteeism data in percentage were established by computation of days and hours absent for a given period, based on days or hours attended. Equations were derived to determine the absenteeism ratios expressed in percentage (Abd and Abh). The absenteeism ratio, Abh, was observed to be the most appropriate parameter. The business development department (BDD) shows the lowest Abh compared to other departments. Female employees show higher Abh and lower Abd than male employees, while accountants show lowest absenteeism compared to Employees in professional level who had highest absence rate compared to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employees. Most hours were lost during September-December compared to the rest of the year. The results reveal higher employee absenteeism in the FSL affecting its performance.