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Individual Determinants of Work Attendance: Evidence on the Role of Personality

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  • Störmer, Susi

    (University of Hamburg)

  • Fahr, René

    (University of Paderborn)

Abstract

We investigate the influence of personality as measured by the Big Five personality scale on absenteeism using representative data for Germany. In particular, the 2005 wave of the German Socio-Economic Panel provides detailed information on socio-economic background characteristics along with a Big Five personality scale. Estimates of a Logit model and of count data regression are used to analyze an empirical model based on the theory of hedonic labour market outcomes. These estimates allow us to test hypotheses on the influence of the Big Five personality traits on work attendance. We find clear negative correlations between the probability to be absent and Conscientiousness as well as Agreeableness. We find a strong positive impact of Neuroticism on work attendance decisions in general and clues for a positive impact of Extraversion among men. When looking at the length of absence occurrences the personality dimensions of Neuroticism and Agreeableness are found to significantly influence male absenteeism. Implications of our results are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Störmer, Susi & Fahr, René, 2010. "Individual Determinants of Work Attendance: Evidence on the Role of Personality," IZA Discussion Papers 4927, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4927
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    Cited by:

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    2. Engelhardt, Carina, 2017. "Unemployment and personality: Are conscientiousness and agreeableness related to employability?," Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) dp-621, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    3. Ernesto Dal Bó & Frederico Finan & Martín A. Rossi, 2013. "Strengthening State Capabilities: The Role of Financial Incentives in the Call to Public Service," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 128(3), pages 1169-1218.
    4. Vedrana Čikeš & Helga Maškarin Ribarić & Kristina Črnjar, 2018. "The Determinants and Outcomes of Absence Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-26, July.
    5. Egan, Mark & Daly, Michael & Delaney, Liam, 2016. "Adolescent psychological distress, unemployment, and the Great Recession: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 98-105.
    6. Kristen Joyce & Sheena McConnell, "undated". "Employment Coaching: Working with Low-Income Populations to Use Self-Regulation Skills to Achieve Employment Goals," Mathematica Policy Research Reports a21d2c243a764590be0268d8c, Mathematica Policy Research.
    7. Lara Patrício Tavares, 2016. "Who Delays Childbearing? The Associations Between Time to First Birth, Personality Traits and Education," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 32(4), pages 575-597, October.
    8. Wendy V. Cunningham & Paula Villaseñor, 2016. "Employer Voices, Employer Demands, and Implications for Public Skills Development Policy Connecting the Labor and Education Sectors," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 31(1), pages 102-134.
    9. Stephanie Prümer & Claus Schnabel, 2019. "Questioning the Stereotype of the “Malingering Bureaucrat”: Absence from Work in the Public and Private Sector in Germany," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(4), pages 570-603, November.
    10. Della Giusta, Marina & Jewell, Sarah, 2018. "Working for nothing: personality, time allocation and earnings in the UK," MPRA Paper 91481, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Deena Schwartz & Karen Gardiner & Kristen Joyce & Sheena McConnell & Correne Saunders, "undated". "Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS): Implementation Findings from the Evaluation of Employment Coaching," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 500e1a1c348a4347a99374c8b, Mathematica Policy Research.
    12. Tim Kautz & Quinn Moore, "undated". "Measuring Self-Regulation Skills in Evaluations of Employment Programs for Low-Income Populations: Challenges and Recommendations," Mathematica Policy Research Reports c3079bb25ca349b6806692391, Mathematica Policy Research.
    13. Vahé Nafilyan & Stefan Speckesser & Augustin de Coulon, 2020. "The long-term impact of improving non-cognitive skills of adolescents: Evidence from an English remediation programme," CVER Research Papers 028, Centre for Vocational Education Research.
    14. Thomas Leoni & René Böheim, 2018. "Fehlzeitenreport 2018. Krankheits- und unfallbedingte Fehlzeiten in Österreich – Präsentismus und Absentismus," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61487, April.
    15. Yulia I. Raynik & Hans-Helmut König & André Hajek, 2020. "Personality Factors and Sick Leave Days. Evidence from a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-7, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    absenteeism; Five Factor Model; personality; count data model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

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