Presenteeism

The term 'presenteeism' is used when workers come to work when they are sick, injured, or experiencing personal problems that could limit their ability to work effectively and lead to poor health. Unlike absenteeism where employees are absent from work because of illness or other distractions, presenteeism is where an employee is physically present but not mentally there because of health or personal problems. The presence of employees who are called presenteeism can have negative impacts not only on the organization but also on individual employees, including decreased productivity, increased errors, lower job satisfaction, compromised health, and higher healthcare costs.

Example of Presenteeism

In highly competitive workplaces, employees may feel like they must show their dedication and commitment to the companies by being at work even if they are sick or have challenges in their personal environments. As a case in point, a staff member that has flu-like symptoms may decide to come to the office instead of taking a sick leave to prevent lagging behind deadlines, missing essential meetings, and being viewed by colleagues or supervisors as unreliable.

Being at work does not mean that their productivity and performance will not be affected due to fatigue, discomfort and cognitive impairment which are symptoms of being ill. They may find it difficult to give their full attention to the task, complete tasks in a timely manner and interact with coworkers, which impairs team dynamics and creates project chaos. Moreover, an employee's intention to work sick can elevate the chances of transmission of infectious diseases to co-workers resulting in a worsening of presenteeism and absenteeism within the organization.