Time for Absenteeism: A 20-Year Review of Origins, Offshoots, and Outcomes

Abstract

We use a time-based system to help organize, summarize, and analyze research on employee absenteeism published in the last 20 years (1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996). Although what is known about some mid-term (4-12 month) origins of absence-taking has been greatly clarified and expanded, less is known about long-term (> 12 months) and short-term (I day -3 months) origins, or about how causes in different time frames relate to each other. Poor performance and "neglectful" behaviors serve as reliable offshoots of absenteeism. The long-and short-term etiology of the latter behaviors is unclear, but their shared variance in the mid-term reflects negative job attitudes. Outcomes of absenteeism have received much less research attention. Although mid-term consequences such as reduced performance, turnover, and organizational expense are well-established, little is known about short-and long-term effects of absence-taking on individuals and their social environments. We conclude with suggestions for more explicit consideration of time frames, causal lags, and aggregation periods in the next decades of absenteeism research.

Injury-related absenteeism and job satisfaction: insights from Greek and UK data

“…Böckerman and Ilmakunnas (2008) suggest that absences are more frequent in manufacturing sector than in other sectors. Finally, Drago and Wooden (1992) supported that absenteeism is higher among females, singles, blue-collar workers and low-educated employees (for a review of the empirical literature on absenteeism, see Harrison and Martocchio 1998). Most of the above-mentioned studies use absenteeism in general, without distinguishing any particular type of absenteeism.…”

How Important are Job Attitudes? Meta-Analytic Comparisons of Integrative Behavioral Outcomes and Time Sequences

“…Hulin (1984Hulin ( , 1991 suggested that the meanings of lateness, absence, and turnover can be found in their patterns of covariation. Rosse and Miller (1984) identified five sets of those patterns, or nomological networks, as underlying theories of relationships among withdrawal behaviors themselves, and between withdrawal behaviors and their proposed antecedents and consequences (also see their reinterpretation by Harrison and Martocchio [1998]). According to the independent forms model of withdrawal, lateness, absenteeism, and turnover each have a unique etiology.…”

Job stress interventions and the organization of work

“…This high negative arousal may lead to increased reactivity and a general dysregulation of physiological systems (44), and eventually to the development of irreversible damage [eg, with regard to cardiovascular problems or impaired immune functions (45)]. Absenteeism is conceptually a very promising variable because it is influenced both by people's health and by their attitudes towards the job and the employer, the attitudinal aspects being more important for the frequency of short-term absences (46). Thus any changes towards the positive may combine to reduce absenteeism.…”