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Sickness Absence and Works Councils: Evidence from German Individual and Linked Employer–Employee Data
Author(s) -
Arnold Daniel,
Brändle Tobias,
Goerke Laszlo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
industrial relations: a journal of economy and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1468-232X
pISSN - 0019-8676
DOI - 10.1111/irel.12204
Subject(s) - german , representation (politics) , duration (music) , business , demographic economics , accounting , labour economics , economics , political science , law , geography , archaeology , art , literature , politics
Using both household and linked employer–employee data for Germany, we assess the effects of nonunion representation in the form of works councils on (1) individual sickness absence rates and (2) a subjective measure of personnel problems due to sickness absence as perceived by a firm's management. We find that the existence of a works council is positively correlated with the incidence and the annual duration of absence. Further, personnel problems due to absence are more likely to occur in plants with a works council.