Managing Post-Holiday Absenteeism in Pakistan: Evidence from a Sequential Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study of Workforce Management Strategies
Abstract
Employee absenteeism can disrupt operational continuity, particularly when absence becomes concentrated after prolonged public and religious holidays. This study examined seven workforce management strategies—Proactive Scheduling, Incentives to Workers, Clear Policies, Careful Worker Selection, Backup Strategies, Cross-Training, and Strong Follow-Up—in managing post-holiday absenteeism in Pakistan. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. Semi-structured interviews with eight organizational informants from textile, automotive, and human resource management contexts identified key workforce-management practices and informed the quantitative instrument. Quantitative data from 161 employees and managers in manufacturing, logistics, and retail organizations were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability and convergent validity (Cronbach's α = .671–.825; composite reliability = .820–.886; AVE = .591–.675). The structural model explained 35% of the variance in operational impact (R² = .35). Strong Follow-Up was the only significant predictor (β = .249, p = .011), whereas the remaining six strategies were non-significant. The findings indicate that organizational preparedness alone may not adequately address concentrated post-holiday absenteeism. Timely managerial follow-up, attendance monitoring, communication, and return-to-work coordination may be particularly important for maintaining operational continuity. The study provides context-specific evidence from Pakistan and highlights the value of integrating structural workforce planning with active managerial intervention.
Keywords: employee attendance; mixed methods; Pakistan; PLS-SEM; post-holiday absenteeism; Strong Follow-Up; workforce management; workforce productivity.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21978912
