Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Absenteeism

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB SATISFACTION AND ABSENTEEISM

IN A SELECTED FIELD SERVICES SECTION WITHIN AN ELECTRICITY

UTILITY IN THE WESTERN CAPE

BEVERLEY ANN JOSIAS

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF COMMERCE

IN THE

FACULTY OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE

NOVEMBER 2005

SUPERVISOR: Mr Karl Heslop

1

ABSTRACT

Absenteeism - employees not showing up for work when scheduled - can be a major

problem for organisations. As pressures increase on the budgets and competitiveness of

companies, more attention is being given to reduce workplace absenteeism and its cost.

Most research has concluded that absence is a complex variable and that it is influenced

by multiple causes, both personal and organisational. Job satisfaction has been noted as

one of the factors influencing an employee’s motivation to attend.

Studies on the

relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction seem to be inconsistent. Some

research has found no correlation between these two variables whereas other studies

indicate a weak to moderate relationship between these two variables.

There is limited research on the job satisfaction-absenteeism relationship within South

African organisations. The aim of the present study was therefore to determine whether

there is a relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism in a selected department

within an Electricity Utility in the Western Cape.

One hundred and twenty one (121) respondents completed a biographical questionnaire

as well as a Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) to identify their levels of job satisfaction. To

ascertain the extent of absenteeism, respondents were asked to report on their number of

days absent and their absence frequency within a six month period.

Results indicate that there is a weak, inverse relationship between both the number and

frequency of sick...