Harley1980 wrote:
To reduce productivity losses from employees calling in sick. Corporation X implemented a new policy requiring employees to come into work unless they were so sick that they had to go to a doctor. But a year after the policy was implemented, a study found that Corporation X's overall productivity losses due to reported employee illnesses had increased.
Which of the following, if true, world best explain why the policy produced the reverse of its intended effect?
(A) Alter the policy was implemented. employees more frequently went to the doctor when they felt sick
(B) Before the policy was implemented, employees who were not sick at all often called in sick
(C) Employees coming into work when sick often infect many of their coworkers
(D) Unusually few employees became genuinely sick during the year after the policy was implemented
(E) There are many other factors besides employee illness that can adversely affect productivity
Aim: Reduce loss from sick days.
Plan: Employees must come to work until and unless they are very sick and need to go to the doctor.
Result: Losses from sick days actually increased.
We expected the losses to reduce but because of this plan, they actually increased. We need to resolve this paradox. We need to give why the losses showed the opposite effect.
(A) Alter the policy was implemented. employees more frequently went to the doctor when they felt sick
This doesn't explain why the losses due to sick days increased instead of decreasing. This could explain why the loss stayed the same or reduced very little.
When people got sick before, they took leave. In some cases, they went to the doctor because they were very sick. The policy requires the sick people to come to office while the very sick can take a leave. After the policy if sick people start going to the doctor too (so that they can take a leave), it could be a reason why we may not see much reduction in sick leaves. But why would we see an increase, this option doesn't explain.
(B) Before the policy was implemented, employees who were not sick at all often called in sick
If this doesn't happen anymore, then we should see the plan succeeding. Doesn't explain why the plan backfired.
(C) Employees coming into work when sick often infect many of their coworkers
Correct. This explains why the plan backfired. When sick people come in to work after policy implementation, they were infecting other people also. So many people were falling sick every time someone was sick. Then out of these many people, some would have required a doctor and taken leave. So instead of that one person who was sick who should have taken a leave, now more people needed to take leaves. Hence, the losses due to sick days increased.
(D) Unusually few employees became genuinely sick during the year after the policy was implemented
Then the plan should have succeeded. Doesn't explain why the plan backfired.
(E) There are many other factors besides employee illness that can adversely affect productivity
Other factors are irrelevant. We are only discussing productivity losses due to sick days.
Answer (C)