Absenteeism is defined as an employee failing to report for duty and being present at work without permission from the employer or a reasonable excuse for such an absence. It can be considered as one of the critical disciplinary cases in the organisation, particularly among employees in manufacturing sectors where it keeps increasing from time to time. Failure to rectify these disciplinary issues contributed to many manufacturing companies suffering more than RM6 billion in yearly costs for man-days lost through the absence of their employees. In view of the above scenario, it is very pertinent to rectify the disciplinary case on an employee’s
absenteeism in manufacturing companies in order to reduce the absenteeism rate in the organisations. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the determinants of employees’ absenteeism, specifically job satisfaction, reward management, working conditions, and employees’ morale in manufacturing companies. This study employed a quantitative approach using a survey. The random sampling procedure technique was used to select 200 employees in manufacturing companies. The findings show that job satisfaction and working conditions influence employee absenteeism in manufacturing companies, but reward management and employee
morale have the opposite effect. The findings of the study may have both pragmatic and theoretical implications. Finally, the study also discusses the study’s limitations and recommendations for future research.
