Improving Attendance to Achieve Organizational Goals: A Case Study of Human-Centered Design in a Small US Plant-Based Food Manufacturer

Plant-based food manufacturing companies face high staff turnover rates and attendance problems. It is challenging for those companies to maintain an acceptance level of employee retention and attendance to achieve their objectives. Companies rely on front-line employees to meet production plans, but employees who do not show up at work jeopardize companies' operations. Additional challenges, such as retaining and attracting talent after the COVID-19 pandemic, are present daily for several U.S. organizations. This study analyzes attendance data from the case study company to design an attendance policy. Attendance data suggested that nearly 60 percent of the operational workforce had attendance or punctuality problems. The research project was conducted in a small company located in the U.S. that manufactures plant-based food following the human-centered design (HCD) methodology to design a four-level attendance policy: 1) good standing, 2) improvement, 3) disciplinary, and 4) termination. The new attendance policy is designed and implemented by incorporating literature review gaps, feedback from other companies with similar workforce populations, and including the needs of the staff and not solely those of the company. After a successful project management design, training, and implementation, the expected goals are to reduce employee absenteeism, decrease the number of new hires and training hours, and increase the likelihood that the company meets its organizational goals.