Playing truant within organisations : Informal relationships, work ethics and absenteeism

This study focuses on the relationship between informal relationships, work ethics and (short‐time) absenteeism. According to self‐categorisation theory, which elaborates on the social identity theory, hypotheses were formulated for the relationship between consensus in work ethics within teams, informal relationships (cohesiveness) and short‐term absenteeism. The hypotheses were tested within two Dutch organisations: study 1 concerns a housing corporation ( n =53, eight teams), and study 2 concerns a nursing home ( n =97, nine teams). As expected, consensus in work ethics and cohesiveness within a team were positively related. Results from multi‐level analyses showed as expected, a negative relationship between cohesiveness within a team and short‐term absenteeism of employees. Furthermore, an interaction‐effect was found in the first study, but not in the second: the more cohesive the team, the stronger the relationships between work ethics and short‐term absenteeism. Findings are discussed in terms of recommendations for further research and practical implications.