The Effects of Monetary Incentives on Planned and Unplanned Absences in Adolescent Part-Time Employees: a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

The authors paid teen workers a small cash bonus for showing up to every shift. They ran an ABAB reversal so the bonus came and went twice.

The kids were neurotypical part-timers at a community job. The team tracked planned and surprise absences and added up what substitutes cost.

Absences dropped 60% when the bonus was on. The whole bonus pool was only $264, but saved more than that by cutting substitute hires.

Both planned call-offs and last-minute no-shows fell, so shifts stayed fully staffed.

Haemmerlie (1983) did the same reversal trick with adult staff in a group home. They traded one paid day off for perfect monthly attendance and also saw fewer absences plus calmer residents. The teen study extends that idea to after-school jobs and swaps cash for time-off.

Washington et al. (2014) used prize draws to boost step counts in adults. Only a third responded, showing token cash works better when the target is attendance rather than exercise.

Kodera et al. (1976) proved a single $5 bill beats three reminders: low-income parents scheduled dental visits. Berkovits et al. (2019) keeps the tiny-budget theme but moves the incentive from health care to workplace reliability.

If you supervise adolescent staff, RBTs, or student interns, a micro-bonus can buy reliable coverage for less than the cost of calling in subs. Track attendance for two weeks, post the simple rule (“Perfect schedule this pay period = $10 gift card”), and watch no-shows shrink. You can fund it from the money you already waste on replacement labor.