Operant conditioning or behaviour modification has stressed the role that the immediate environment has in in
fluencing individual behaviour. The central concepts in operant conditioning theory are those of punishment and
reward. In this area theory has suggested how behaviour can be strengthened (reinforced) by paying systematic atten
tion to the immediacy and the frequency of the environmental consequences that follow the performance of required
behaviours. While these behavioural principles have been widely applied in solving various educational and health
problems, it is only recently that behaviourists have become interested in work related problems. This paper reviews
recent applications of operant conditioning techniques to absenteeism and concludes that these techniques
systematically reduced absenteeism.
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