Employee Absenteeism High Employee Satisfaction Is Correlated

¶ … Employee Absenteeism

High employee satisfaction is correlated with low employee absenteeism.

Employee satisfaction is both a qualitative and quantitative research question. Absenteeism is a measurable, quantitative and numerical data set; there is no grey area within it. It is a pattern of missing obligations and can be used to correlate numerical data. Employee satisfaction, on the other hand, is typically qualitative and then turned into quantitative data (productivity, morale, loyalty, satisfaction). This measurement is often rated on a scale (low number = low satisfaction, high number = high satisfaction, etc.).

There are a number of variables that would be significant in any study on the relationship between absenteeism and satisfaction. These would include age, gender, position (level within the hierarchy), demographics, salary, time at the company, educational level, and then, of course, the number of days absent (which could also be broken down to days per week, month, quarter, consecutive, etc.).

Part 2 -- Research Design -- A mixed method design would seem quite appropriate for this type of study, meaning that both qualitative and quantitative data sets would be collected, analysed, and used to make determinations of correlation:

Qualitative -- Develop a set of criteria to measure satisfaction. Run these criteria through a focus group, honing the types of issues and appropriate scales that seem most significant to group members.

Qualitative/Quantitative -- Use questionnaire design to have employees rate their job satisfaction (numerical scale 1-5 or 1-10, with 1-10 giving a more robust picture of satisfaction). Include some open-ended questions that might help explain attitudes within the group in question.

Quantitative -- Collect data from Human Resources on actual absenteeism. Collect total days, average absent days per week, month, quarter; develop patters of consecutive days (e.g. Friday/Monday to make long weekends; extended absenteeism after or before Holidays, etc.

Part 3 -- Data Collection

A. Focus Group

B. Administering Questionnaire

C. Collecting Absenteeism Data from HR

Each portion of the research design would be used to combine both qualitative and quantitative experimental design. This mixed method approach will help in the analysis of the data and will allow the researcher to present a broader, more meaningful, hypothesis.