Predicting absenteeism and turnover: A field comparison of Fishbein's model and traditional job attitude measures.

The present investigation studied the lab-to-field generalizability of Fishbein's attitude-behavior model and examined the relative efficacy of the Fishbein model and traditional job attitude measures as predictors of absenteeism and turnover. Predictor data were collected from 108 nursing home employees immediately preceding the two-month time period of interest. Criterion data were obtained at the end of the two-month period. Fishbein's model received some field support, particularly with respect to predicting turnover. Traditional job attitude measures were more effective predictors of absenteeism, while Fishbein's model was a more effective predictor of turnover. It was concluded that neither approach seems superior especially in light of the amounts of criterion variance accounted for. Empirical studies of the attitude-behavior relationship in specific reference to job attitudes and job withdrawal behaviors have been reviewed recently by Porter and Steers (1973). They concluded that there is considerable evidence for consistent negative relationships between job attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction) and turnover. There appears to be a similar relationship of job attitudes to absenteeism, although there is much less information available. Porter and Steers note that many of the more recent findings are based on reliable and valid measures of job attitudes such as the Job Descriptive Index,