THE ROLE OF FAIRNESS ORIENTATION AND SUPERVISOR ATTRIBUTIONS IN ABSENCE DISCIPLINARY DECISIONS

The present study investigated the role of the work value of fairness and attributions regarding the causes of absence in supervisor discipl inary decisions. It was hypothesized that supervisors who valued fairn ess, and those who made internal attributions regarding the cause of a particular absence incident, render more severe disciplinary decision s than supervisors who value fairness less, and who make external attr ibutions. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that the degree to which su pervisors valued fairness moderates the relationship between external attributions and the severity of disciplinary decisions. Using a polic y capturing approach, results were consistent with predictions. Implic ations of the results for research and practice are discussed.