Unveiling the Hidden Triggers of Academic Staff Absenteeism in Nigerian Polytechnics: A Case Study of Some Selected Tertiary Institutions of Yobe State, Nigeria

Absenteeism is one of the earliest and repetitive researched phenomena in the history of human resource management (HRM) and organizational behaviour (Patton and Johns, 2012). According to Marshall and Farahbakhsh (2013), absenteeism is a serious organizational anomaly for any type of organizations, from the government owned to privately managed establishment and it is one of the underlying factors of loss of performance and commitment to one’s job, dissipation of organizational wealth and delicate structure of the organizations and its component around the world. Absenteeism is a recognized obstacle in any organization surveyed by enormous researchers (Dalton and Mesch, 1991; Mayfield and Mayfield, 2009). Employee absenteeism is a pervasive challenge in organizational settings worldwide, with significant implications on productivity, institutional effectiveness, and workplace morale. In the context of tertiary institution, where the quality of teaching, research, and administrative efficiency directly impacts national development, addressing absenteeism among staff members becomes critical. Nigeria’s polytechnic sector, a cornerstone of technical and vocational education, faces unique socio-economic and institutional challenges that exacerbate workforce management issues. However, while absenteeism is often attributed to visible factors such as health problems or personal emergencies, its root causes in the Nigerian polytechnic particularly in the region like Yobe State remain understudied, masking systemic triggers that demand urgent exploration. Yobe State, located in North-eastern Nigeria, grapples with complex socio-economic dynamics, including insecurity, poverty, and infrastructural deficits, which may directly influence employee behaviour in public institutions. Polytechnics in the state, tasked with equipping students with technical skills for economic empowerment, rely heavily on consistent staff presence to fulfil their mandates. Yet, anecdotal evidence and preliminary observations suggest persistent absenteeism among academic and non-academic staff, raising concerns about its hidden drivers.