Use of a Group Contingency to Decrease Staff Absenteeism in a State Institution

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Abstract
The effects of a group contingency on amount of absences from work by institutional personnel were investigated. The contingency required staff on a unit shift to reduce and maintain their total number of absences below a criterion level. If the shift obtained the criterion during a 4-week work period, a new work schedule was implemented providing more frequent days off on weekends. The group contingency was implemented in multiple baseline fashion across six work shifts and was accompanied by reductions in absenteeism on five of the shifts. Additional analyses comparing the rates of the previous year supported the effectiveness of all six shifts. It appeared that the procedure was effective in reducing absenteeism by socially significant amounts when viewed in terms of person hours of work for resident services and in terms of economic cost.