The Impact of the Employee’s Personal Characteristics on the Abuse of Sickness Absence: Empirical Evidence From Poland

Abstract

The tendency to abuse sickness absence is a complex problem conditioned by many factors, that can be divided, depending on the level of impact, into three groups: micro (related to personal characteristics), meso (related to the work environment), and macro (related to the broader environment). The subject of interest in the article is the first level (micro). The aim is to evaluate the impact of various personal factors on the declared abuse of sickness leave in Poland. The data was gathered using the CAWI survey. The research sample consisted of 1067 respondents (full-time employees). Statistical analysis incorporated multivariable linear regression and structural equation modelling. Some personal characteristics have a significant impact on the declared abuse of sick leave. These factors are: gender, age, number of children, place of living, marital status, and subjective health. We found no impact of education and financial status. Although abusing sick leave is a serious economic and organisational problem, its causes still remain relatively poorly recognised. Personal characteristics determine the propensity to abuse sick leave, and they need to be taken into account under the process of managing absence behaviours. The added value of the study is drawing attention to the new personal factors which were not previously identified as a determinant of abuse of sick leave. These are: the number of children, place of living, and marital status.