Absence, Age and Organisational Change: A Methodological Cautionary Tale Available to Purchase

This article reports a study of absence in a regional police force. The main aims of the research were to investigate the relationship between absence, age and type of shift work. From the outset, we were mindful of the need to design and carry out a methodologically sound study that would be compromised as little as possible by the practical constraints of field work. An unusually high degree of co‐operation in providing access to the required data was provided by the organisation chosen for study. The sample was probably one of the largest of its kind ever chosen for a study of absence. In the end, we were able to conclude nothing at all about the relationship between absence and shift work. We believe that, although the design was modified by practical considerations, it was nevertheless our concern not to settle for a simple “before and after” design that rescued us from drawing some entirely spurious conclusions. An account of how this occurred is offered as a striking reminder of the need for control groups in studies of organisational change. The research did succeed in achieving the other main aim of observing the relationship between absence and age, and this is discussed.