Premium
Perceived Reasons and Consequences of Work Absence: A Survey of French‐speaking Employees in Quebec
Author(s) -
Haccoun Robert R.,
Desgent Colette
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207599308246920
Subject(s) - generosity , psychology , telephone survey , work (physics) , perception , social psychology , sample (material) , demographic economics , population , demography , sociology , political science , marketing , mechanical engineering , chemistry , chromatography , neuroscience , economics , law , business , engineering
This study follows a descriptive approach to the study of absence behaviour. A sample of workers representative of the French‐speaking population of the Greater Montreal area were interviewed by telephone to gather their perceptions on absence. Respondents reported their absence reasons, the consequences of absences, the absence policies in force by their employer as well as their own absence levels. The results indicate that employees are more likely to be absent for reasons of non‐work constraints than for work‐related difficulties, and they perceive that few consequences are attached to absence. Unionization appears to interact with the generosity of company policies towards absence. Gender differences are noted with regard to the perceived reasons for absence and these findings are juxtaposed with recent meta‐analytic results. The findings of this survey appear highly consistent with other recently published research, and the greater level of detail provided help suggest different strategies for dealing with and for understanding absence behaviour.