Absenteeism

Following the negotiation of the collective bargaining agreement for the hospitality industry, absenteeism has come to the forefront. Employers placed it at the top of their list of concerns. Surely, for some, it is an important issue in itself, but it cannot be separated from a more general labor situation marked by labor shortages. Undoubtedly, without this prior circumstance, absenteeism would not be discussed with the intensity and urgency it presents. However, the problem is more complex than it appears at first glance and transcends the world of work.

The origin of the phenomenon, in its current form, should be placed in the final moments of the pandemic, in a context of exhaustion, stress, and reflection on living and working conditions. It is not a local issue, but has a global reach and extends to many countries around the world. This is what was called The Great Resignation or the Great Attrition. It is particularly prevalent in the United States, but also in China and Europe. In the United States alone, more than 40 million people voluntarily left their jobs in 2021.

Naturally, the figures in the Balearic Islands are much more modest. However, the labor shortage problem in the local job market, which began to emerge at that time, is not unrelated to this general trend. The personal growth was growing, and many workers began to prioritize work-life balance and well-being over certain aspects of their work-life balance. Furthermore, the hotel sector had long been plagued by problems of job insecurity, high temporary employment, and a heavy physical burden, especially in positions such as chambermaids, which exacerbated the response.

There are also other circumstances, of a very different nature, that in our country are causing the emergence of new job openings, which, in a positive way, has further exacerbated the problem. We would say that this was a consequence of the sector's own dynamism, in which a significant number of establishments had raised their standards and quality, with the consequent increase in staff. At the same time, the stricter adherence to the working conditions agreed upon in the current collective bargaining agreement, in response to the post-pandemic labor volatility, also went in the same direction. It has been estimated that the combination of both factors, in some cases, could lead to an increase in the number of jobs in establishments of over 25%. This created a previously unknown tension.

The tourism model has long been socially flawed on many fronts. This is due to the environment and land consumption. And now, it's the labor market that's coming undone. Whether it's called "high attrition" or "workplace absenteeism," the problem is one of stability. A concept essentially linked to business activity and the business model, very difficult to achieve in a markedly seasonal industry. The two are directly proportional. It's a paradox that the solution to combat the problem was to use the fixed-term contract. This type of contract masks forms of precariousness and shifts private responsibilities to the public system. In other words, it doesn't solve the problem; it actually entrenches it.

However, it would be foolish not to see that a buried ideological struggle is brewing around this issue. The success of the social and business shield as a response to the crisis caused by the pandemic, in contrast to the austerity and bailout of the financial system following the 2008 crisis, provoked jealousy on the right. They remained on the lookout until the first opportunity arose, which presented itself with the labor market shortage. From the outset, without any solid argument, the right attributed the labor shortage to workers' preference for state aid over a wage derived from their labor. In short: the government was wasteful and the workers were lazy.

In the wake of this idea, the CEOE (Spanish Workers' Federation) is promoting an offensive against absenteeism, supposedly a product of this desertionist attitude. And, in its eagerness to carry it out, the employers' association has turned the concept of absenteeism into a catch-all where all hours not worked are illusorily counted, without distinction. It doesn't matter whether it's maternity or paternity leave, sick leave, or a young person who didn't show up for work on Monday. It's a deception meant to magnify the problem. The hospitality industry association, following the same aggressive strategy, warned that the agreement being negotiated was not a continuation of the previous one, but rather a new one: has the ownership structure and the balance of power changed so much that the employers' association has forgotten the past?

Zygmunt Bauman defines the relationship between employers and workers in a fluid society as relationships marked by instability, flexibility, and a lack of long-term commitment. Flexibility is the company's greatest weapon for controlling the workforce. However, in a context of labor shortages, this instrument loses its effectiveness. Trying to regain the initiative by joining the ideological struggle for labor counter-reform does not seem to be the most appropriate, fair, or effective solution.