Individual Absenteeism Research Articles

Too few or too many? Exploring the Link between gender dissimilarity and employee absenteeism

Despite well-intentioned gender diversity initiatives aimed at addressing gender imbalances by ensuring minimal female representation in predominantly male groups, such tokenism often exacerbates discrimination and social isolation for these women, potentially leading to absenteeism. Research suggests that the benefits of diversity are realized only when the ratio of women to men reaches a critical threshold that allows for genuine integration and participation. However, this threshold remains uncertain. We integrate tokenism theory with social identity and status characteristics theories to investigate the effects of gender ratios within organizational teams on individual absenteeism. Specifically, we theorize a U-shaped relationship between gender dissimilarity and absenteeism for women, but not for men. Study 1, with a one-year cross-lagged design, encompassing 10,332 blue-collar workers in 1064 teams, supports the U-shaped relationship for women, while the relationship for men was non-significant. In Study 2, we use an experimental design with a sample of 370 female blue-collar workers to explore two potential mechanisms that may together explain the U-shaped gender dissimilarity effect for women. We test whether the gender composition of the work group affects both women’s likelihood of reporting unpleasant experiences and the group’s norms regarding absence. We draw theoretical and practical implications from these findings.

Does my leader care about my subgroup? A multilevel model of team faultlines, LMX quality, and employee absenteeism

ABSTRACT This article investigates the impact of demographic team faultlines on employee absenteeism by considering the level of leader-member exchange (LMX) that supervisors develop with members from different subgroups in a team. We integrate faultline research with the literature on LMX differentiation to build an integrative multilevel model to explain individual absenteeism behaviour. Drawing from social categorization and social comparison theory, we propose that members of subgroups that receive less favourable LMX treatment than their outgroup are particularly likely to increase their absenteeism behaviour due to faultline-induced social categorization. Our predictions receive empirical support in a study with 164 employees from a German electrical engineering company. We discuss implications for the faultline and LMX literature and executives who lead diverse teams.

Health care costs and lost productivity costs related to excess weight in Belgium

BackgroundThis study aimed to estimate annual health care and lost productivity costs associated with excess weight among the adult population in Belgium, using national health data.MethodsHealth care costs and costs of absenteeism were estimated using data from the Belgian national health interview survey (BHIS) 2013 linked with individual health insurance data (2013–2017). Average yearly health care costs and costs of absenteeism were assessed by body mass index (BMI) categories – i.e., underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Health care costs were also analysed by type of cost (i.e. ambulatory, hospital, reimbursed medication). The cost attributable to excess weight and the contribution of various other chronic conditions to the incremental cost of excess weight were estimated using the method of recycled prediction (a.k.a. standardisation).ResultsAccording to BHIS 2013, 34.7% and 13.9% of the Belgian adult population were respectively affected by overweight or obesity. They were mostly concentrated in the age-group 35–65 years and had significantly more chronic conditions compared to the normal weight population. Average total healthcare expenses for people with overweight and obesity were significantly higher than those observed in the normal weight population.The adjusted incremental annual health care cost of excess weight in Belgium was estimated at €3,329,206,657 (€651 [95% CI: €144-€1,084] and €1,015 [95% CI: €343–€1,697] per capita for individuals with overweight and obesity respectively). The comorbidities identified to be the main drivers for these incremental health care costs were hypertension, high cholesterol, serious gloom and depression. Mean annual incremental cost of absenteeism for overweight accounted for €242 per capita but was not statistically significant, people with obesity showed a significantly higher cost (p < 0.001) compared to the normal weight population: €2,015 [95% CI: €179–€4,336] per capita. The annual total incremental costs due to absenteeism of the population affected by overweight and obesity was estimated at €1,209,552,137. Arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, was the most important driver of the incremental cost of absenteeism in individuals with overweight and obesity, followed by hypertension and low back pain.ConclusionsThe mean annual incremental cost of excess weight in Belgium is of concern and stresses the need for policy actions aiming to reduce excess body weight. This study can be used as a baseline to evaluate the potential savings and health benefits of obesity prevention interventions.

How Many Are Too Few and How Many Too Much? Gender Group Composition and Absenteeism

Increasing women’s representation in organizations and politics has become a top priority for many organizations. The individual consequences of doing so, however, remain largely unknown. For example, how the rising number of women in the workplace affects withdrawal behavior of women and men is unclear. In this study, we bridge the diversity and withdrawal behavior literatures to explore the consequences of gender and gender composition in groups on individual absenteeism and ultimately on group abandonment. Using a dataset of 10,332 blue-collar workers in 1,064 groups at a public service company tracked over four years, we found that for women, gender group composition and absenteeism had an U-shaped curvilinear relationship, such that the higher the proportion of women in the group, the lower women’s absenteeism up to a tipping point from which a further increase in the share of women in the group did not decrease absenteeism. As expected, the proportion of women in their groups did not impact men’s absenteeism. Finally, we also found that these effects on absenteeism endured over time and increased group abandonment. We derive implications of our findings for managers and organizations.

Advancing an Ecological Approach to Chronic Absenteeism: Evidence from Detroit

Background/Context Chronic absenteeism has received increased attention from educational leaders and policy makers, in part because of the association between attendance and important student outcomes. Student attendance is influenced by a range of student-, school-, and community-level characteristics, suggesting that a comprehensive and multilayered approach to addressing chronic absenteeism is warranted, particularly in high-poverty urban districts. Given the complexity of factors associated with chronic absenteeism, we draw from ecological systems theory to study absenteeism in Detroit, which has the highest rate of chronic absence of major cities in the country. Purpose/Research Questions We use administrative and public data to advance the ecological approach to chronic absenteeism. In particular, we ask: (1) How are student, neighborhood, and school characteristics associated with individual absenteeism? (2) How are structural and environmental conditions associated with citywide rates of absenteeism? Our study helps to fill a gap in the research on absenteeism by moving beyond a siloed focus on student, family, or school factors, instead placing them in relationship to one another and in their broader socioeconomic context. It also illustrates how researchers, policy makers, and administrators can take a theoretically informed approach to chronic absenteeism and use administrative data to conceptualize the problem and the potential routes to improving it. Research Design Using student-level administrative data on all students living and going to school in Detroit in the 2015–2016 school year, we estimate a series of multilevel logistic regressions that measure the association between student-, neighborhood-, and school-level factors and the likelihood of a Detroit student being chronically absent. We also use publicly available data to examine how macrosystemic conditions (e.g., health, crime, poverty, racial segregation, weather) are correlated with citywide rates of absenteeism in the 2015–2016 school year, and we compare Detroit with other large cities based on those conditions. Findings/Results Student-, neighborhood-, and school-level factors were significant predictors of chronic absenteeism in Detroit. Students were more likely to be chronically absent if they were economically disadvantaged, received special education services, moved schools or residences during the year, lived in neighborhoods with more crime and residential blight, and went to schools with more economically disadvantaged students and less stable student populations. Macro-level factors were also significantly correlated with citywide rates of absenteeism, highlighting Detroit's uniquely challenging context for attendance. Conclusions/Recommendations Our ecological understanding of absenteeism suggests that school-based efforts are necessary but not sufficient to substantially decrease rates of chronic absenteeism in Detroit and other high-absenteeism contexts. Policies that provide short-term relief from economic hardship and aim to reduce inequalities in the long-run must be understood as part of, rather than separate from, a policy agenda for reducing chronic absenteeism.

Cross-lagged effects of resilience and indicators of sustainable employability; a study among Dutch police officers

PurposeSustainable employability is an important goal for individuals and organizations alike. However, scarce knowledge is available on possible cross-lagged relations of resilience among police officers and different aspects of their sustainable employability over time. Based on assumptions of COR theory, the purpose of this paper is to test these relations in a two-wave design.Design/methodology/approachA total of 532 police officers participated in a time-lagged survey design (time interval of six months) concerning their resilience and relevant aspects, i.e., self-reported vitality, workability and organization-reported individual absenteeism rates. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling.FindingsResults indicate cross-lagged effects between resilience and vitality with an acceptable model fit. Thus, the level of resilience at T1 affected the level of vitality at T2 and vice versa. In addition, a nearly significant negative effect of vitality on T1 was found on absenteeism on T2.Research limitations/implicationsMore measurements over time are needed to test reciprocal relations and possible gain spirals. Different samples are needed to assess generalizability. Cross-lagged effects may indicate a reciprocal relation between resilience and vitality that can be further facilitated.Practical implicationsFor example, resilience can be addressed explicitly in training.Originality/valueThis study is the first to test the cross-lagged relations between resilience and indicators of sustainable employability among police officers. It is important to further study this for the sake of both police officers, as well as society as a whole.

The Impact of Social Context on the Relationship Between Individual Job Satisfaction and Absenteeism: The Roles of Different Foci of Job Satisfaction and Work-Unit Absenteeism

Building upon recent conceptualizations of different foci of job and theories of social-contextual influence, we develop and test an integrative cross-level model of the individual relationships between both focused satisfaction (referring to job conditions) and focused satisfaction (referring to the work unit) and absenteeism. For both of these foci, we hypothesize differential three-way interactive effects of work-unit absenteeism patterns as characterized by their mean and dispersion levels, as well as individual levels on subsequent individual absenteeism. Based on two German multi-level samples, our analyses demonstrate that the negative relationship between externally focused and individual absenteeism is strongest in the presence of high mean and dispersion levels of work-unit absenteeism, whereas this relationship is weaker when either the mean or dispersion levels of work-unit absenteeism, or both, are low. In contrast, the negative relationship between internally focused and individual absenteeism is strongest under conditions of low mean and dispersion levels of work-unit absenteeism, whereas this relationship is weaker when either the mean or dispersion levels of work-unit absenteeism, or both, are high. The present findings suggest that simultaneously improving individual internally focused and reducing work-unit absenteeism is the most promising approach to reducing individual absenteeism

Labor Market Institutions and Individual Absenteeism in the European Union: The Relative Importance of Sickness Benefit Systems and Employment Protection Legislation

In this article, we analyze the determinants of individual absenteeism focusing on the “strictness” of employment protection and the “generosity” of sickness benefits. The data come from the “European Survey on Working Conditions” launched in 2000. Due to its coverage (the EU‐14), the data enable us to identify the relative importance of the institutional framework for explaining differences in absence behavior across nations. Our results reveal that, first, employment protection does not influence the number of absence days while sickness benefits increase absenteeism. And, second, the impact of the institutional framework is smaller than that of some individual worker characteristics.

Self‐Efficacy Beliefs Predict Sustained Long‐Term Sick Absenteeism in Individuals With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Recovery beliefs are assumed to predict rehabilitation outcomes and return-to-work in various clinical conditions but are less frequently assessed in musculoskeletal disorders. We tested the hypothesis that recovery beliefs constitute a risk factor for sustained long-term sick absenteeism in men and women suffering from nonspecific chronic musculoskeletal disorders. A total of 233 subjects with a recent or ongoing experience of long-term sick leave were included in a prospective design. Subjects answered a postal baseline questionnaire and were followed up via register data for 1 year. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that subjects with negative recovery beliefs (OR: 2.41; CI: 1.22-4.77), low sense of mastery (OR: 2.08; CI: 1.27-3.40), perceived high mental demands at work (OR: 1.77; CI: 1.05-2.99), and prior experiences of long-term sick absenteeism (OR: 1.86; CI: 1.02-3.37) had an increased probability of receiving sickness benefits at follow-up. We conclude that prolonged sickness absence contributes strongly to increase patients' sense of helplessness, lower self-efficacy, and hinder future work return. To improve work return, patients' maladaptive beliefs should be clarified and challenged early in the rehabilitation process.

Absenteeism in times of rapid organizational change

Unscheduled absenteeism is a costly and disruptive phenomenon that remains problematic for organizations. It is imperative that managers understand more fully the antecedents and consequences of this complex behaviour. This study aims to shed light on the issue by analysing the absence trends in a large public sector organization undergoing modernization and downsizing. It is argued that employer assumptions about the legitimacy of individual absenteeism will guide decision making with regard to appropriate absence management strategies. This study highlights the danger of falsely attributing individual-level causes of absenteeism to what may be better understood as a group-level phenomenon. This phenomenon represents a predictable response in the context of major organizational change. This research has implications for human resource management strategies in organizations experiencing rapid change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Die omvang en aard van afwesigheid in die werkplek: ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse gevalstudie

The scope and nature of absenteeism in the workplace: A South African case study. The objective of the study was to develop quantitative measures for monitoring trends of absenteeism in a company within the meat industry and to assess qualitatively the possible existence of a collective culture of absenteeism within the organisation. The scope and frequency of absenteeism, costs incurred due to absenteeism, and individual absenteeism patterns of 145 employees, were studied over a period of one year. It was found that 2900 planned and 912 unplanned leave workdays that were lost, resulted in direct costs of R895,054.55. Five employees who were absent most often accounted for 18.60% of the unplanned leave taken. The extraordinary levels of absenteeism found in this case study were ascribed to specific employees. Opsomming Die doel van die studie was om kwantitatiewe metings vir die monitering van afwesigheidstendense vir ‘n maatskappy in die vleisbedryf te ontwikkel en om die moontlike bestaan van ‘n kollektiewe afwesigheidskultuur kwalitatief te ondersoek. Die omvang, frekwensie en koste van afwesigheid, asook individuele afwesigheidspatrone, is bestudeer vir 145 werknemers oor ‘n tydperk van een jaar. Daar is bevind dat 2900 beplande en 912 onbeplande verlofwerkdae wat verloor is, die maatskappy R895,054.55 gekos het. Vyf werknemers wat die meeste afwesig was, was verantwoordelik vir 18,60% van die onbeplande verlof geneem. Die uitsonderlike vlakke van afwesigheid in hierdie gevalstudie is toegeskryf aan spesifieke werknemers.

Multistate Models for Clustered Duration Data—an Application to Workplace Effects on Individual Sickness Absenteeism

Sickness absenteeism figures show a relatively large amount of variation across firms and organizations, indicating substantial within-firm correlations between absenteeism records of individual workers. To study the role of firm-specific circumstances and workforce composition, we specify three-state, multicycle duration models of work, sickness, and job separation, with workplace-specific fixed effects to account for unobserved differences between firms. In the most flexible specification, these fixed effects are separate, nonparametric, baseline hazards for each firm and each type of transition. Alternative estimation methods are discussed and applied to individual absenteeism histories of primary-school teachers.

The evaluation of an individual burnout intervention program: The role of inequity and social support.

This study evaluated a 5-week, group-based burnout intervention program among direct-care professionals working with mentally disabled individuals. Equity theory was used as the theoretical framework. The main objective of the program was to reduce perceptions of inequity in the relationship with the organization and with the recipients of care by increasing the fit between the professional's goals and expectations and the actual work situation. One experimental group and 2 control groups participated. All 3 groups filled out 3 questionnaires: before the program started, 6 months later, and 1 year later. Individual absenteeism rates were assessed for 1 year before and after the program. Results showed that in the experimental group burnout, absence, and deprived feelings diminished compared with the control groups. The most profound effects were among participants who could draw on social resources to benefit from the intervention.

The Effects of Absence Culture on Individual Absence

This field study provided empirical evidence for the effects of absence culture on individual absenteeism among employees (N = 264) within five clerical units. Absence culture was derived from the aggregation of an individual-level measure of the beliefs about the perceived costs (i.e., deterrent outcomes) and benefits (i.e., encouraging outcomes) of being absent from work. It was hypothesized that these individual beliefs about absence could be aggregated meaningfully to the unit level. In addition, it was hypothesized that absence culture would explain a significant amount of variance in individual absence beyond the effects of demographics and general work attitudes. Paid and unpaid absence data for the 3-month period following collection of the beliefs measures were collected from organizational records. This study demonstrated support for the existence of an absence culture and its impact on individual absence. Implications for managing absence and suggestions for future research are discussed.