Abstract
The study examined the distinction between two traditional work absence measures: frequency, reflecting voluntary absence, and duration, reflecting non-voluntary absence. The two measures were compared in a test of the relationship between work absence and employees’ perceptions of organizational ethics. Questionnaires and archive data were collected from 1,016 teachers in Israel. Organizational ethics was represented by three variables: ethical climate (caring and formal), organizational justice (distributive and procedural), and teacher’s tendency to misbehave. Results showed that four ethical constructs (caring climate, formal climate, tendency to misbehave, and procedural justice) were related to absence frequency, while only one (caring climate) was related to absence duration. The findings add to previous research on the distinction between voluntary and involuntary absence measures, and the superior sensitivity of frequency over duration as a measure of voluntary absence. In practice, the results may encourage principals and managers to create ethical workplaces to minimize absence frequency.
References
Adams, J.S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In Berkowitz, L. (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, vol. 2: 267–299. New York: Academic Press
Appelbaum, S.H., Deguire, K.J., & Mathieu, L. (2005). The relationship of ethical climate to deviant workplace behaviour. Corporate Governance, 5(4), 43–55
Ashkanasy, N.M., Wilderom, C.P.M., & Peterson, M.F.(2000). Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Pub
Aziz, A. (2004). Relationship between Machiavellianism and absence rate: An empirical study. International Journal of Management, 21(4), 445–450
Baguma, P. (2001). Predictors of absenteeism among Ugandan public officers. Journal of Psychology in Africa South of Sahara, the Caribbean and Afro-Latin America, 11(2): 185–199
Bechtoldt, M.N., Welk, C., Hartig, J., & Zapf, D. (2007). Main and moderating effects of self-control, organizational justice and emotional labour on counterproductive behavior at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 16(4), 479–500. doi:10.1080/13594320701662618
Beretvas, S.N., Meyers, J.L., & Leite, W.L. (2002). A reliability generalization study of the Marlowe-Crowne social desirability scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62(4), 570–859. doi:10.1177/0013164402062004003
Bowers, T. (2001). Teacher absenteeism and ill health retirement: A review. Cambridge Journal of Education, 31, 135–157. doi:10.1080/0305764012006119
Bryk, A.S., & Raudenbush, S.W.(1992). Hierarchical linear models, applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Buunk, A.P., & Janssen, P.P.M. (1992). Relative deprivation, career issues and mental health among men in midlife. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 40, 338–350. doi:10.1016/0001-8791(92)90055-5
Chadwick-Jones, J.K., Brown, C.A., Nicholson, N., & Sheppard, C. (1971). Absence measures: Their reliability and stability in an industrial setting. Personnel Psychology, 24, 463–470. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1971.tb00368.x
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Cohen, D.V. (1995). Creating ethical work climates: A socioeconomics perspective. Journal of Socio-Economics, 24, 317–343. doi:10.1016/1053-5357(95)90024-1
Cohen, A. (2000). The relationships between commitment forms and work outcomes: A comparison of three models. Human Relations, 53(3), 387–417
Crowne, D.P., & Marlowe, D. (1964). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 349–354. doi:10.1037/h0047358
Cullen, J.B., Parboteeah, K.P., & Victor, B. (2003). The effects of ethical climates on organizational commitment: A two-study analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(2), 127–141. doi:10.1023/A:1025089819456
Dabos, G.E., & Rousseau, D.M. (2004). Mutuality and reciprocity in the psychological contracts of employees and employers. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 52–72. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.89.1.52
Dalton, D.R., & Mesch, D.J. (1991). On the extent reduction of avoidable absenteeism: An assessment of absence policy provisions. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 810–817. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.76.6.810
De Boer, E.M., Bakker, A.B., Syroit, J.E., & Schaufeli, W.B. (2002). Unfairness at work as a predictor of absenteeism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23, 181–197. doi:10.1002/job.135
Diefendorff, J.M., & Mehta, K. (2007). The relations of motivational traits with workplace deviance. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 967–977. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.967
Dwyer, D.J., & Ganster, D.C. (1991). The effects of job demands and control on employee attendance and satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 12, 595–608. doi:10.1002/job.4030120704
Ehrenberg, R., R. Ehrenberg, D. Rees and L. Ehrenberg: 1989, School District Leave Policies, Teacher Absenteeism, and Student Achievement. National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, Working Paper #2874
Farrell, D., & Stamm, C.L. (1988). Meta-analysis of the correlates of employee absence. Human Relations, 41, 211–227. doi:10.1177/001872678804100302
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford: Stanford University Press
Fimbel, N., & Burstein, J.S. (1990). Defining the ethical standards of the high-technology industry. Journal of Business Ethics, 9, 929–948. doi:10.1007/BF00382832
Gellatly, I.R. (1995). Individual and group determinants of employee absenteeism: Test of a causal model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16, 469–485. doi:10.1002/job.4030160507
Geurts, S.A., Schaufeli, W.B., & Rutte, C.G. (1999). Absenteeism, turnover intention and inequity in the employment relationship. Work and Stress, 13(3), 253–267. doi:10.1080/026783799296057
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Greenberg, J. (1990). Looking fair versus being fair: Managing impressions of organizational justice. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior (vol. 12, pp. 111–157). Greenwich, CT: JAI
Greenberg, J. (1995). The quest for justice on the job: Essays and experiments. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Hackett, R.D. (1989). Work attitudes and employee absenteeism: A synthesis of the literature. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 62, 235–248
Hackett, R.D., Bycio, P., & Guion, R.M.A. (1989). Absenteeism among hospital nurses: An idiographic-longitudinal analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 32, 424–453. doi:10.2307/256369
Hackett, R.D., & Guion, R.M. (1985). A reevaluation of the absenteeism–job satisfaction relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 32, 424–453
Hammer, T.H., & Landau, J. (1981). Methodological issues in the use of absence data. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 66, 574–581. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.66.5.574
Hanisch, K.A., & Hulin, C. (1991). General attitudes and organizational withdrawal: An evaluation of causal model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 39, 110–128. doi:10.1016/0001-8791(91)90006-8
Harrison, D. A.: 2002, ‹Meaning and Measurement of Work Role Withdrawal’, in M. Koslowsky and M. Kraus (eds.), Voluntary Employee withdrawal and Inattendance: A Current Perspective, Chapter 5 (Plenum, London)
Harrison, D.A., & Price, K.H. (2003). Context and consistency in absenteeism: Studying social and dispositional influences across multiple settings. Human Resource Management Review, 13, 203–225
Hutchison, S., Sowa, D., Eisenberger, R., & Huntington, R. (1986). Perceived organizational support. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500–508. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500
Imants, J., & Van Zoelen, A.V. (1995). Teachers’ sickness absence in primary schools, school climate and teachers’ sense of efficacy. School Organization, 15(1), 77–86. doi:10.1080/02601369550038372
Johns, G. (1994). How often were you absent? A review of the use of self-reported absence data. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(4), 574–591. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.79.4.574
Johns, G. (1997). Contemporary research on absence from work: Correlates, causes and consequences. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 12, 115–173
Johns, G. (2003). How methodological diversity has improved our understanding of absenteeism from work. Human Resource Management Review, 13, 157–184
Johns, G., & Nicholson, N. (1982). The meanings of absence: New strategies for theory and research. Research in Organizational Behavior, 4, 127–172
Karasek, R.A., Jr. (1979). Job demands, decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 285–308. doi:10.2307/2392498
Kelly, S.W., & Dorsch, M.J. (1991). Ethical climate, organizational commitment, and indebtedness among purchasing executives. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 11(4), 55–66
Kickul, J. (2001). Promises made, promises broken: An exploration of small business attraction and retention practices. Journal of Small Business Management, 39, 320–335. doi:10.1111/0447-2778.00029
Konovsky, M.A., & Pugh, S.D. (1994). Citizenship behavior and social exchange. Academy of Management Journal, 37, 656–669. doi:10.2307/256704
Koslowsky, M., & Krausz, M.(2002). Voluntary employee withdrawal and inattendance. New York: Plenum
Koslowsky, M., Sagie, A., Krausz, M., & Dolman, A.D. (1997). Correlates of employee lateness: Some theoretical considerations. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(1), 79–88. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.82.1.79
Lazarus, R.S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. New York: Oxford University Press
Lee, T.W., & Mitchell, T.R. (1994). An alternative approach: The unfolding model of voluntary employee turnover. Academy of Management Review, 19(1), 51–89. doi:10.2307/258835
Lester, S.W., Turnley, W.H., Bloodgood, J.M., & Bolino, M.C. (2002). Not seeing eye to eye: Differences in supervisor and subordinate perceptions of and attributions for psychological construct breach. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23, 39–56. doi:10.1002/job.126
Malloy, D.C., & Agarwal, J. (2003). Factors influencing ethical climate in a nonprofit organization: An empirical investigation. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 8(3), 224–250. doi:10.1002/nvsm.215
Martocchio, J.J. (1989). Age-Related Differences in Employee Absenteeism: A Meta-Analysis, Psychology and Aging 4(4), 409–414
Martocchio, J.J. (1994). The effects of absence culture on individual absence. Human Relations, 47, 243–262. doi:10.1177/001872679404700301
Martocchio, J.J., & Jimeno, D.I. (2003). Employee absenteeism as an affective event. Human Resource Management Review, 12, 227–241
Mathieu, J.E., & Kohler, S.S. (1990). A cross-level examination of group absence influences on individual absence. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 75(2), 217–220. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.75.2.217
Melamed, S., Ben-Avi, I., Luz, J., & Green, M.S. (1995). Objective and subjective work monotony: Effects of job satisfaction, psychological distress and absenteeism in blue-collar workers. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 29–42. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.80.1.29
Misco, T.: 2004, ‹Understanding Japan Through the Lens of Moral Education’, Social Studies (Maynooth, Ireland) 95(2), 62–66. doi:10.3200/TSSS.95.2.62–66
Moorman, R.H. (1991). Relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviors: Do fairness perceptions influence employee citizenship? The Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 845–855. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.76.6.845
Morrison, E.W., & Robinson, S.L. (1997). When employees feel betrayed: A model of how psychological construct develops. Academy of Management Review, 22, 226–256. doi:10.2307/259230
Ones, D.S., Viswesvaran, C., & Schmidt, F. (2003). Personality and absenteeism: A meta-analysis of integrity tests. European Journal of Personality, 17, 19–38. doi:10.1002/per.487
Oplatka, I. (2004). The principalship in developing countries: Context, characteristics and reality. Comparative Education, 40(3), 427–448. doi:10.1080/0305006042000274872
Organ, D.W., & Ryan, K. (1995). A meta-analytical review of attitudinal and dispositional predictors of organizational behavior. Personnel Psychology, 48, 775–802. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01781.x
Pate, J., Martin, G., & McGoldrick, J. (2003). The impact of psychological contract violation on employee attitudes and behaviour. Employee Relations, 25(6), 557–573. doi:10.1108/01425450310501306
Peterson, D.K. (2002). The relationship between unethical behavior and the dimensions of ethical climate questionnaire. Journal of Business Ethics, 41, 313–326. doi:10.1023/A:1021243117958
Pillai, R., E. S. Williams and J. J. Tan: 2001, ‹Are the Scales Tipped in Favor of Procedural or Distributive Justice? An Investigation of the U.S., India, Germany, and Hong Kong (China)’, The International Journal of Conflict Management 12(4), 312–332. doi:10.1108/eb022861
Puffer, S.M. (1987). Prosocial behavior, non compliant behavior and work performance among commission sales people. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 53, 422–443
Quinn, R.E. (1988). Beyond rational management. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass
Randall, D.M. (1990). The consequences of organizational commitment: Methodological investigation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 11, 361–378. doi:10.1002/job.4030110504
Robinson, S.L., & Bennett, R.J. (1995). A typology of deviant workplace behaviors: A multi-dimensional scaling study. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 555–572. doi:10.2307/256693
Robinson, S. L. and J. Greenberg: 1998, ‹Employees Behaving Badly: Dimensions, Determinants, and Dilemmas in the Study of Workplace Deviance’, in C. L. Cooper and D. M. Rousseau (eds.), Trends in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 5 (Wiley, Chichester, UK), pp. 1–30
Robinson, S.L., & Rousseau, D.M. (1994). Violating the psychological construct: Not the exception but the norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15, 145–259. doi:10.1002/job.4030150306
Rosenblatt, Z., & Peled, D. (2002). School ethical climate and parental involvement. Journal of Educational Administration, 40(4), 349–367. doi:10.1108/09578230210433427
Rosenblatt, Z. and A. Shirom: 2003, Teacher Absenteeism. Report submitted to the Israel Ministry of Education, Jerusalem (Hebrew)
Rosenblatt, Z., & Shirom, A. (2005). Predicting teacher absenteeism by personal background factors. Journal of Educational Administration, 43(2), 209–225. doi:10.1108/09578230510586597
Rosenblatt, Z., & Shirom, A. (2006). School ethnicity and governance influence on work absence of teachers and school administrators. Educational Administration Quarterly, 42(3), 361–384. doi:10.1177/0013161X05282613
Rousseau, D.M. (1989). Psychological and implied contracts in organizations. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2, 121–139. doi:10.1007/BF01384942
Rousseau, D.M. (1995). Psychological constructs in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Rutte, C.G., & Messick, D.M. (1995). An intregrated model of perceive unfairness in organizations. Social Justice Research, 8, 239–261. doi:10.1007/BF02334810
Sagie, A. (1998). Employee absenteeism, organizational commitment and job satisfaction: Another look. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 52, 156–171. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1997.1581
Schuman, H., & Presser, S.(1981). Questions and answers in attitude surveys. New York: Academic Press
Scott, K.D., & McClellan, E.L. (1990). Gender differences in absenteeism. Public Personnel Management, 19, 229–253
Scott, K.D., & Taylor, G.S. (1985). An examination of conflicting findings on the relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism: A meta-analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 28, 599–612. doi:10.2307/256116
Scott, K.D., & Wimbush, J.C. (1991). Teacher absenteeism in secondary education. Educational Administration Quarterly, 27(4), 506–529. doi:10.1177/0013161X91027004004
Scott-Norton, M. (1998). Teachers absenteeism: A growing dilemma in education. Contemporary Education, 69(2), 95–99
Shapira-Lishchinsky, O. and Z. Rosenblatt: 2008, Ethical Climate and Voluntary Absence: The Mediation Effect of Organizational Commitment. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, (in press)
Somech, A. (2005). Directive versus participative leadership: Two complementary approaches to managing school effectiveness. Educational Administration Quarterly, 39, 1–24
Spector, P.E. (1997). The role of frustration in antisocial behavior at work. In R. A. Giacalone & J. Greenberg (Eds.), Antisocial behavior in organizations (pp. 1–17). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Steel, R.P. (2003). Methodological and operational issues in the construction of absence variables. Human Resource Management Review, 13, 243–251
Upchurch, R.S., & Ruhland, S.K. (1996). The organizational bases of ethical work climates in lodging operations as perceived by general managers. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(10), 1083–1093. doi:10.1007/BF00412049
VandenHeuvel, A. (1997). Absence because of family responsibilities: An examination of explanatory factors. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 18(3), 273–297. doi:10.1023/A:1024926913288
Van Yperen, N.W., Hagedoorn, M., & Geurts, S.A.E. (1996). Intent to leave and absenteeism as a reaction to perceived inequity: The role of psychological and social constraints. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 69, 367–372
Vardi, Y. (2001). The effects of organizational and ethical climates on misconduct at work. Journal of Business Ethics, 29, 325–337. doi:10.1023/A:1010710022834
Vardi, Y., & Weitz, E. (2003). Personal and positional antecedents of organizational misbehavior, Ch 10. In: A. Sagie, S. Stashevsky & M. Koslowsky (Eds), Misbehavior and dysfunctional attitudes in organizations. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Publs
Vardi, Y., & Weitz, E.(2004). Misbehavior in organizations: Theory, research, and management. NJ: Erlbaum
Vardi, Y., & Wiener, Y. (1996). Misbehavior in organizations: A motivational framework. Organization Science, 7, 151–165
Victor, B., & Cullen, J.B. (1988). The organizational bases of ethical work climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33, 101–125. doi:10.2307/2392857
Westman, M., & Etzion, D. (2001). The impact of vacation and job stress on burnout and absenteeism. Psychology & Health, 16, 595–606. doi:10.1080/08870440108405529
Wimbush, J.C., & Shepard, J.M. (1994). Toward an understanding of ethical climate: Its relationship to ethical behavior and supervisory influence. Journal of Business Ethics, 13, 637–647. doi:10.1007/BF00871811
Woods, R.C., & Montagno, R.V. (1997). Determining the negative effect of teacher attendance on student achievement. Education, 112, 307–316
Xie, J.A., & Johns, J. (2000). Interactive effects of absence culture salience and group cohesiveness: A multi-level and cross-level analysis of work absenteeism in the Chinese context. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73, 31–52. doi:10.1348/096317900166868
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shapira-Lishchinsky, O., Rosenblatt, Z. Perceptions of Organizational Ethics as Predictors of Work Absence: A Test of Alternative Absence Measures. J Bus Ethics 88, 717–734 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9977-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9977-8