A recent study uncovers the costly impact of “presenteeism,” where employees feel pressured to work despite being unwell. While it may seem like dedication, this behavior leads to mistakes, dissatisfaction, and significant financial losses for companies. Discover how workplace culture plays a role and what can be done to combat this growing issue.
A recent study highlights the significant negative impact that the pressure to go to work while sick can have on companies. This phenomenon, known as “presenteeism”, causes billions of dollars in losses each year due to unproductive and harmful behavior in the workplace.
What is presenteeism and why is it problematic?
“Presenteeism” describes the situation in which employees show up for work despite being ill. Many people feel obliged to do this to avoid being perceived as unreliable or because of pressure from superiors or the company culture. At first glance, it may seem positive that employees are present even in difficult times. However, research shows that this practice is counterproductive in reality. Instead of increasing productivity, working while ill leads to mistakes, dissatisfaction and, in the long term, huge financial losses for companies.
The results of the study in detail
The study led by Claire Smith, “Presenteeism Pressure: The Development of a Scale and a Nomological Network”, examined the social context in the workplace and how this influences employees’ attendance decisions. Regardless of personal and work-related factors, pressure to work while sick may stem from the perception that the company expects such behavior. The study used Social Information Processing Theory to develop and capture the construct of “presenteeism pressure”. This is the perception that a company sets expectations of employees in such a way that presence is considered normal and necessary, even when sick.
In a scale development study with 219 working adults, an 11-item scale was created and refined to measure “presenteeism pressure”. The validity of this scale was confirmed in an independent sample of 248 employees. In addition, the place of presenteeism pressure in a nomological network of constructs within the presenteeism and general organizational literature was examined, which was conducted in a further sample of 764 individuals. Finally, an additional two-wave study with 350 participants increased the rigor of the validation efforts and expanded the nomological network to include relevant work effects.
Economic impact of presenteeism
The study refers to calculations by the Harvard Business Review, which estimate that presenteeism can cost American companies up to 150 billion US dollars every year. This is because employees who work sick are less productive, make more mistakes and even develop more serious health problems in the long term, which can lead to longer absences. In addition to the direct loss of productivity, this condition also leads to higher employee turnover and a poorer working atmosphere, which results in additional costs.
Measures to combat presenteeism
According to the study, employers have a crucial responsibility to counteract presenteeism. Instead of a culture that views calling in sick as a sign of weakness or unreliability, companies should develop flexible and customized policies that allow employees to take responsibility for their own health decisions. This could be achieved by promoting home office options, communicating sickness policies more clearly and reducing social pressure. Supporting measures such as company health programs or training for managers could also help to reduce the pressure on employees and create a healthy working environment.
Integrating “presenteeism pressure” into theory and practice
The results of the study position the concept of “presenteeism pressure” as a unique and promising contribution to the understanding of presenteeism and work behavior in general. The authors of the study suggest integrating presenteeism pressure into existing theories to better inform organizational attendance practices. By gaining a deeper understanding of this construct, organizations could develop targeted measures to reduce presenteeism and promote a healthy and productive work environment.
You’re so right. It always pisses me off when everyone comes to work sick. But it just doesn’t work without money. We would have to change something fundamentally. You have a much better solution in Germany.