The role of self-efficacy and job satisfaction on absences from work

Introduction. - Absenteeism is a relevant and costly issue for organizations, constantly looking at its antecedents in order to reduce the phenomenon. Objective. - This study aims to deepen the concurrent role that has been rarely investigated in predicting absence of self-efficacy and job satisfaction, testing both a direct as well as an indirect relation. Method. - Self-efficacy and job satisfaction were measured in a sample of 1160 white-collars from the main Italian delivery company, a privatized organization. Then, the self-report questionnaire was matched with objective data on absences (i.e., the total days lost at work over 12 months). Results. - The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) lent support to the indirect relation between self-efficacy and absences from work via job satisfaction, but not to the direct link. Conclusion. - These findings show that training in self-efficacy can lead to higher job satisfaction and therefore to greater work attendance. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.