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

IntroductionAbsenteeism is a relevant and costly issue for organizations, constantly looking at its antecedents in order to reduce the phenomenon.ObjectiveThis 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.MethodSelf-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).ResultsThe 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.ConclusionThese findings show that training in self-efficacy can lead to higher job satisfaction and therefore to greater work attendance.