The Relationship between Personality Traits and Sickness Presenteeism among Managers in Selected Public Banks in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sickness presenteeism is grown as a legitimate concern for scholars, especially in occupational medicine who referred to it as ‘employees attending work while being ill’. The complexity of decision-making process of sickness presenteeism turned attention to possible association of personality traits as its key personal driver which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation. The purpose of the study is to determine the relationship between personality traits and sickness presenteeism among managers in three public banks in Sri Lanka considering the Big Five personality traits; Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience. Using a quantitative research design, a survey was conducted among managers who represent all managerial levels in selected public banks in Sri Lanka. Analysis of the data was aligned with the objective of the study to yield results of the correlation between each personality trait and sickness presenteeism. Findings revealed that all Big Five personality traits correlated to sickness presenteeism among managers in three public banks in Sri Lanka.