RECOGNIZING GOOD ATTENDANCE: A LONGITUDINAL, QUASI‐EXPERIMENTAL FIELD STUDY

TLDR

Three motivational theories (need, goal, and reinforcement) suggest that recognition programs should increase employee attendance. The study compared a public recognition program for improving work attendance with three types of controls. A 1‑year quasi‑experimental field study of absenteeism was conducted at four manufacturing plants with 1,100 employees, comparing the public recognition program to three control conditions. The personal recognition treatment led to significant decreases in absenteeism ranging from 29% to 52% per quarter, while control groups showed no decrease, and employees reported favorable perceptions of the program.

Abstract

Three motivational theories (need, goal, and reinforcement) suggest that recognition programs should increase employee attendance. A 1‐year, quasi‐experimental field study of absenteeism was conducted at 4 manufacturing plants with a total 1,100 employees. The study compared a public recognition program for improving work attendance with 3 types of controls. The personal recognition treatment showed (a) significant decreases ranging from 29% to 52% for each quarter's baseline assessment, and (b) significant decreases when the control groups showed no decrease. Employees had favorable perceptions of the public recognition program.