Work attitudes and employee absenteeism: A synthesis of the literature*

Three meta‐analyses of the relationship of employee absenteeism to job satisfaction have appeared in the literature (cf. Hackett McShane, 1984; Scott & Taylor, 1985). While the size of the parameter estimates was similar across the three reviews, different interpretations were offered. Moreover, agreement was lacking over the status and impact of moderators. This paper summarizes and compares the results of these three separate reviews. Some refined analyses of the comprehensive data set showed that the strongest relationships were between absence frequency and work satisfaction (p = −0.21), and absence duration and overall job satisfaction (p = −0.23). Sex was identified as a strong and consistent moderator. A synthesis of these findings is offered.