Employee absenteeism, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction: Another look

Previous research suggested weak relations between work attitudes and indirect measures of employee absenteeism (e.g., frequency and time-lost; Hackett, 1989). In the present study, absences were regarded as voluntary or involuntary based on the reasons provided by the employees or supervisors. It was hypothesized that voluntary as opposed to involuntary absenteeism can be predicted by organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and their interactive effect. Intention to quit was expected to predict voluntary absenteeism as well. Subjects were 140 clerks in an Israeli municipality (average age was 41). Moderated multiple regression analyses of attitudes and objective (personnel records) or subjective (self-reported) absence data yielded support for the first hypothesis. Nonetheless, the intention to quit was not significantly related to either type of absence. Theoretical and methodological considerations were discussed and implications for continued research were outlined.