Scandinavian Working Papers in Business Administration

Working Papers,
Örebro University, School of Business

No 2007:11: Sickness Absence and Peer Effects -Evidence from a Swedish Municipality

Mattias Bokenblom () and Kristin Ekblad ()
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Mattias Bokenblom: Department of Business, Economics, Statistics and Informatics, Postal: Örebro University, Department of Business, Economics, Statistics and Informatics, SE - 701 82 ÖREBRO, Sweden
Kristin Ekblad: Department of Business, Economics, Statistics and Informatics, Postal: Örebro University, Department of Business, Economics, Statistics and Informatics, SE - 701 82 ÖREBRO, Sweden

Abstract: In this paper we use detailed employment records to study to what extent sickness absence among work group colleagues influences individual sickness absence. Our results indicate an overall positive peer effect. However, further analysis show peer behavior to be important for women’s sickness absence, but not for men’s, and that woman are only affected by their female co-workers. Our findings also suggest that it, on average, takes two to three years for a new employee to become influenced by the absence pattern of the work group. In light of our results, we cannot rule out the possibility of social norms being important to the individual sick leave decision.

Keywords: Peer effects; sickness absence; social norms

JEL-codes: J22; Z13

23 pages, First version: November 26, 2007. Revised: September 14, 2010. Earlier revisions: February 19, 2008.

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