Basic human values and sick leave: A study combining two-wave survey data with longitudinal register data.

There is growing recognition that dispositional factors and social norms can predict work absence. Human values have been linked to related concepts, including work commitment and receipt of disability pension; however, there is a lack of research on whether human values are associated with sickness absence. We address this issue by combining survey data from two waves (2007, 2017) of the Norwegian Life-Course, Ageing and Generation Study (N = 1,330) with longitudinal register data on sickness absence between survey waves. Stepwise regression analyses showed that, out of Schwartz's 10 basic values, achievement was prospectively associated with higher levels of self-reported sick leave, even when controlling for a variety of potential confounders. Self-direction was also related to higher risk of self-reported sick leave in the adjusted analysis. Conservation values (security and conformity) were related to stricter attitudes toward sick leave when controlling for potential confounders, while stimulation was associated with lenient sick leave attitudes in the adjusted analysis. None of the human values were prospectively associated with longer-term register-based sick leave beyond bivariate correlations. We conclude that broad human values to some extent predict attitudes toward sick leave and self-certified sick leave where persons may vary according to which degree they consider sick leave to be necessary and appropriate, while human values do not predict long-term, physician-certified sickness absence. Future research may examine whether health- or work-specific values have greater explanatory power for sick leave, including long-term sickness absence that is typically more closely linked to more serious health problems.

Associations between paid and unpaid work among Norwegian seniors: competition, complementarity or continuity?

A key issue in policy debates on active ageing is how to increase older people's participation in both paid and unpaid work. This combined goal raises the question of whether the different activities compete for seniors' time and energy or whether it is possible to achieve both, since such activities may instead complement one another. To address this issue, we examine associations between paid work, informal help provision and formal volunteering among 62- to 75-year-olds by using longitudinal data from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation Study (2007, 2017). Our analyses show that both work exit and part-time work are associated with a higher probability of doing unpaid work in senior years compared with full-time work. However, previous engagement in unpaid activities matters considerably, regardless of paid work status. Individuals involved in informal help or formal voluntary work in 2007 were far more likely to do unpaid work 10 years later than those who were not involved. Since seniors who are already engaged in unpaid activities before leaving the labour market are likely to continue to provide informal help and volunteer, we argue that initiatives to stimulate combinations of paid and unpaid work in late careers may be advantageous.

Gender difference in sickness absence: Do managers evaluate men and women differently with regard to the appropriateness of sickness absence?

Aims: Women have much higher rates of sickness absence than men, but the causes of the difference are not well understood. This study examines whether managers have more lenient attitudes towards women's than towards men's absence, as this might contribute to higher rates of sickness absence among women. Differences between managers and other employees are also assessed. Methods: Vignettes were used to measure attitudes towards the legitimacy of sickness absence. The vignettes consisted of brief case descriptions of individuals considering asking their physicians for sick leave, with information about the medical condition (mainly taken from the descriptions in ICPC-2), occupation and gender. Respondents judged how appropriate sickness absence was in each case. Quota sampling was used, and the effective sample size was 899 managers and 1396 other employees, with each respondent evaluating either four or six vignettes. Generalised ordinal logistic regression was used. Results: The gender of the vignette person had no effect on the managers' evaluations of the appropriateness of sickness absence. Irrespective of the gender of the vignette person, however, managers were generally more restrictive than non-managers. Conclusions: Different attitudes on the part of managers towards sickness absence in men and women do not seem to contribute to gender differences in sickness absence, but managers are generally more restrictive compared to non-managerial employees.

Gender equality in sickness absence tolerance: Attitudes and norms of sickness absence are not different for men and women.

Previous research offers limited understanding as to why sickness absence is higher among women than among men, but attitudes and norms have been suggested as plausible explanations of this gender gap. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether the gender gap in sickness absence reflects gender differences in sickness absence attitudes or gendered norms of sickness absence in society. The analyses are based on data from a factorial survey experiment covering 1,800 male and female employed respondents in Norway in 2016. Each participant was asked to evaluate whether sick leave would be reasonable in six unique, hypothetical sickness absence scenarios (i.e. vignettes) in which occupation, gender and reason for sick leave varied. Sick leave judgments were regressed on respondent gender and vignette gender using binary logistic regressions across three cut points. Overall, we did not find a substantial gender difference in either attitudes towards sickness absence or sickness absence norms. However, further analyses indicated more tolerant social norms of sickness absence for employees in gender-dominated occupations than for employees in gender-integrated occupations. This pattern could be a result of the type of work attributed to these occupations rather than their gender composition. Contrary to popular belief, we conclude that widely held attitudes and norms of sickness absence are unlikely to be drivers of the gender gap in sickness absence. The results can be useful for policies and interventions aimed at safeguarding gender equality in the labour market.