[The relationship between job appreciation and absenteeism studied with the use of a simple questionnaire]

In the period February 1986-January 1988 a questionnaire study was carried out among 455 men aged 39-55 years working for the Netherlands Post Office to determine whether a correlation exists between job appreciation and absenteeism. Job appreciation was estimated by means of seven questions concerning: pleasure at work, fatigue after work, job satisfaction, mental stress due to the work, tension in contact with colleagues, tension in contacts with superiors and the physical exertion of working. Answers were scored on a 7-point scale. It was found that a particular score area exists that is correlated with significantly more absenteeism. The results apply to groups, not to individuals.