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Longitudinal examination of the stability and variability of two common measures of absence
Author(s) -
Léonard Christine,
Dolan Shimon L.,
Arsenault André
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of occupational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.257
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 2044-8325
pISSN - 0305-8107
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00532.x
Subject(s) - absenteeism , demography , variance (accounting) , winter season , longitudinal study , repeated measures design , measure (data warehouse) , psychology , geography , statistics , climatology , social psychology , mathematics , sociology , accounting , business , geology , database , computer science
This study, conducted amongst 121 employees in two hospitals, examines sources of variability in two common measures of absence: frequency and time‐lost. Time series analyses over a five‐year span suggest substantial differences by month, season and year. More specifically, the analysis of variance of the frequency measure reveals significant differences between seasons and years and a significant season by year interaction. Peak frequencies are systematically recorded during the winter season, while the lowest occur in summer. These trends are less prominent with the time‐lost measure, with only the seasonal differences remaining significant. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the study and measurement of absenteeism.