Norms and Absenteeism – A Field Experiment

Last registered on October 19, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Norms and Absenteeism – A Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014581
Initial registration date
October 16, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 19, 2024, 9:43 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Timo Vogelsang
Affiliation
Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Dirk Sliwka
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Matthias Mahlendorf
PI Affiliation
Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Maximilian Kohler
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-10-21
End date
2025-07-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
Field Experiment, Absenteeism, Social Norms
JEL code(s)
C93, D91, J24, J63, M54
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In a study involving employees from multiple supermarket stores within a German retail company, a randomly selected subset of employees will be informed about the descriptive norms of absenteeism in the organization. Employees with notably high absence rates will receive a letter comparing their absence level to the company median. We hypothesize that this intervention will reduce absenteeism not related to illness.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kohler, Maximilian et al. 2024. "Norms and Absenteeism – A Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. October 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14581-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
In several supermarket stores of a German retail company, letters will be sent to randomly selected employees among those with higher absence rates (i.e., those with a rate in the Top 25%).
Intervention Start Date
2024-10-21
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Absence share of employees (excluding employees with an absence share of 1 prior to the experiment)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In several supermarket stores of a German retail company, all employees with high absence rates (i.e., those with a rate in the Top 25%) will receive a letter informing them that absenteeism is a significant issue for the company, often linked to a poor work environment. It further states that the company has arranged for an external coach to be available as a resource that employees can contact when they need support.

Treatment: A random sample of 50% of these employees will in this letter additionally receive personalized information about their own absence rate, along with the company’s median absence rate.

To examine whether receiving a letter alone—without the absenteeism comparison data—affects employee behavior, we will send a similar letter to 50% of employees with low absenteeism rates (i.e. those who are not in the Top 25%).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Stratified randomization
Randomization Unit
Individuals
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
194 employees
Sample size: planned number of observations
194
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
97 control group, 97 treatment group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Cologne
IRB Approval Date
2024-10-10
IRB Approval Number
240056DS)
Analysis Plan