How are work-related characteristics linked to sickness absence and presenteeism? Theory and data

Daniel Arnold and Marco De Pinto

No 15-077, ZEW Discussion Papers from ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research

Abstract: This paper investigates how changes in work-related factors affect workers' absence and presenteeism behavior. Previous studies (implicitly) assume that there is a substitutive relationship, i.e. a change in a work-related factor decreases the level of absence and simultaneously increases presenteeism (or vice versa). We set up a theoretical model in which work-related characteristics not only affect a worker's absence decision but also the individual-specific sickness definition. Since workrelated factors affect presenteeism through these two channels, nonsubstitutive relationships between absence and presenteeism are also conceivable. Using European cross-sectional data, we find only few substitutive and complementary relationships, while the bulk of the work-related characteristics is related only to one of the two sickness states.

Keywords: sickness absence; presenteeism; annual duration; workrelated characteristics; health at work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 J22 J28 M50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-hrm and nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Related works:
Working Paper: How are Work-related Characteristics Linked to Sickness Absence and Presenteeism? - Theory and Data - (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:zewdip:15077

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