Five-factor model of personality and employee absence

The present study investigates the degree to which dimensions of the 5-factor model of personality (often termed the Big Five) are related to absence. On the basis of previous descriptions of the Big Five traits and drawing from prior research, the authors hypothesized that neuroticism and extraversion would positively predict absence and conscientiousness would negatively predict absence. Also, they hypothesized that absence history (absence proneness), measured by the absence that occurred the year prior to the study, would partly mediate the relationship between the personality characteristics and subsequent absenteeism. Data were collected from a sample of 89 university employees. Results suggest that extraversion and conscientiousness predicted absenteeism and that part, but not all, of the relationship between these traits and absence was mediated through absence history.