Universität zu Köln

Alfitian, Jakob ORCID: 0000-0001-7651-9368 (2024). Absenteeism in the Workplace: Evidence from Retail. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This dissertation deals with absenteeism in the workplace in the context of retail. The first chapter reports on a randomized controlled trial that examined the effectiveness of an attendance bonus in reducing absenteeism among apprentices in a retail chain. The results demonstrate that the attendance bonus not only failed to reduce absenteeism, but in fact led to a substantial increase in absenteeism. This backfiring effect was largely due to apprentices in their first year of training. A survey revealed that the attendance bonus led to apprentices perceiving absenteeism as acceptable behavior. The backfiring effect persisted even after the attendance bonus was removed, suggesting a lasting erosion of social norms. The second chapter examines the behavioral consequences of impending termination, manifested in absenteeism, among employees of a retail chain. The key result is that employees who were dismissed exhibited a sharp increase in absenteeism around the time they were given notice. In contrast, employees who resigned showed only a moderate increase in absenteeism toward the end of the employment relationship, which was, however, not particularly pronounced around the time they gave notice. Among employees who concluded a mutual termination agreement with their employer, absenteeism even tended to decrease following the conclusion of this agreement. The third chapter examines the relationship between absenteeism and firm performance using data of a retail chain combined with public health data. Crucially, the relationship between absenteeism and sales does not prove to be monotonic. Instead, it exhibits an inverted U-shape. This indicates that a reduction in absenteeism does not necessarily result in improved firm performance. In fact, moderate absenteeism is associated with higher sales than perfect attendance. Moreover, if the actual level of absenteeism falls below the level expected due to the regional acute spread of respiratory disease, this is associated with lower sales than if both align. A similar relationship is also observed between absenteeism and measures of service quality. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that absenteeism is not generally detrimental to firm performance.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Alfitian, Jakob UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7651-9368 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-740165
Date:	2024
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences > Business Administration > Corporate Development > Professorship for Business Administration and Human Resources Management
Subjects:	Economics Management and auxiliary services
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Absenteeism English Retail English Attendance bonus English Dismissal English Presenteeism English Fehlzeiten German Einzelhandel German Kündigung German Präsentismus German
Date of oral exam:	15 October 2024
Referee:	Name Academic Title Sliwka, Dirk Prof. Dr. Heinz, Matthias Prof. Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/74016