Working Paper: NBER ID: w10632
Authors: Sean Nicholson; Mark V. Pauly; Daniel Polsky; Claire Sharda; Helena Szrek; Marc L. Berger
Abstract: Using data from a survey of 800 managers in 12 industries, we find empirical support for the hypothesis that the cost associated with missed work varies across jobs according to the ease with which a manager can find a perfect replacement for the absent worker, the extent to which the worker functions as part of a team, and the time sensitivity of the worker's output. We then estimate wage multipliers' for 35 different jobs, where the multiplier is defined as the cost to the firm of an absence as a proportion (often greater than one) of the absent worker's daily wage. The median multiplier is 1.28, which supports the view that the cost to the firm of missed work is often greater than the wage.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I10; J30
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| job characteristics (ease of substitution) (J29) | cost of workloss (J17) |
| job characteristics (team production) (L23) | cost of workloss (J17) |
| job characteristics (time sensitivity) (J29) | cost of workloss (J17) |
| cost of workloss (J17) | productivity loss (D24) |
| job characteristics (team production) (L23) | productivity loss (D24) |
| job characteristics (time sensitivity) (J29) | productivity loss (D24) |
| absence of workers (high team production and time sensitivity) (J22) | greater productivity losses (J17) |