Stress of underworked and overpaid: Rooting out the causes of damaging absenteeism

Abstract

Purpose

Frequent absences from work can be highly disruptive, while also potentially indicating problematic working conditions that can lead to increased withdrawal behavior. The purpose of this paper is to test the predictive capability of an expanded effort-reward imbalance model on employee absenteeism within the context of policing.

Design/methodology/approach

Three separate reward systems are identified by the effort-reward imbalance model. In this study, the authors assessed these individual components for their contribution to officer withdrawal behavior in the form of absenteeism frequency. Data were gathered from officers within a large Australian police agency.

Findings

Findings indicate that there was a strong influence of social rewards, such as social support and recognition in the workplace on officer absenteeism rates. Low workload was associated with a higher frequency of absenteeism, suggesting a potential underloading effect. There were a number of significant interactions providing support for the effort-reward imbalance mechanism and the separation of the reward construct. Security rewards were particularly influential and significantly moderated the relationship between effort and absenteeism.

Originality/value

This paper considers an expanded model of worker strain and contributes a longitudinal assessment of the association between perceived effort and reward systems and worker absenteeism.

Citation

Beal, B. (2016), "Stress of underworked and overpaid: Rooting out the causes of damaging absenteeism", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 18-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-05-2016-0075