| This study was conducted in three main phases. In the first phase, absence legitimacy was conceptualized as the extent to which individuals perceive absenteeism as a legitimate work behavior, and enacted within the social context in which the behavior occurs. Furthermore, the construct was operationalized as a multi-dimensional construct. It was proposed that work centrality, locus of control, time orientation, gender role differentiation, and social support would antecede perceptions of legitimacy. In turn, legitimacy was expected to influence employee's absence behavior. As such, legitimacy was presented as a mediator between the antecedent factors and absenteeism.; In the second phase, since legitimacy is a new construct an instrument was developed and validated using respondents from Trinidad and Canada. The results of the studies demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties for absence legitimacy.; In the third phase, data were collected from nine countries and ten companies to assess the empirical validity of absence legitimacy by assessing individual and national level effects of the espoused theoretical linkages. Furthermore, the extent to which employees' attendance self-efficacy would moderate the relationship between legitimacy and absenteeism was investigated. Generally, the results provided support for the hypothesized relationships. Research and practical implications, as well as the limitations of the study are offered. |
