ABSENTEEISM AND TURNOVER: IS THERE A PROGRESSION? [1]

Three patterns of relationships between employee absenteeism and turnover have been suggested in the past—that withdrawal progresses from absenteeism to turnover, that absenteeism and turnover are alternatives to each other, and that absenteeism and turnover are unrelated. This paper examines the proposition that there is a rising trend of absences for leavers as the point of their turnover approaches, using data from employees of two midwestern U.S. organizations, a bank and a manufacturing company. A paired subjects design is used for analysis of the progression notion. The results affirm the existence of a positive association between absenteeism and turnover but provide, at best, weak confirmation of the progression hypothesis. The results from the two organizations are also different from each other. Measurement, sample, analysis, and theory problems are discussed as potential explanations of the differential results.