Study: Presenteeism is not only negative

Presenteeism, going to work when ill, is most often discussed in relation to the pressure put on employees by their employers related to productivity. Employees suffering from pain, nausea, fatigue or psychological problems keep on going to work because they feel they have to. That may be dangerous for both themselves and others, which is in nobody's interest. However, there are other situations when presenteeism is desirable.

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The topic of presenteeism - its forms, causes, consequences, measurement and management - was covered in an interesting study by the British think tank IES entitled Presenteeism: A review of current thinking .

Negative and positive presenteeism

If an employee who is ill keeps on going to work is a threat to himself, his colleagues and the entire company, we talk about negative presenteeism. In these cases, employees should stay at home. However, presenteeism should be perceived positively in cases of certain chronic and mental illnesses. The inclusion of people with these kinds of disabilities in the workplace is desirable and beneficial.

Who is at risk

The groups of workers who are most vulnerable to presenteeism include mainly managers with strong feelings that they must set an example to others, people with financial problems, workaholics, people suffering from insomnia and employees with a high volume of absences who feel forced to not miss any more work. Generally, these are mainly office workers. Doctors represent a strong group of potential presenters. People who do not have children or older workers are vulnerable to presenteeism as well. From the health perspective, people living unhealthy lifestyles or suffering from mental health problems come to work even if they are ill the most often.

How to measure presenteeism

Measuring presenteeism is much more difficult than measuring absenteeism. It is a relatively new area which still lacks unified procedures. The results have greater explanatory value within single organizations, and comparisons between multiple organizations are quite problematic. Presenteeism can generally be measured in two ways - in a separate survey or within an existing survey, e.g. a general employee survey. Selected metrics may also be general, or focused on specific health issues. Separate surveys should be focused on areas such as employee engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and limitations at work.

Who to involve

The key to a more active management of presenteeism (and absenteeism) in order to achieve a healthier and more productive workforce lies in the hands of line managers and direct superiors. Senior managers create the overall strategy, but support and communication with employees remain with direct superiors. Only they can facilitate their subordinates' return to work, set an example in how to behave when they get ill and shape the culture of healthy teams. Only they should decide who should go to work and who should stay at home.

The IES study recommends the following measures:

  • Return-to-work programs focused on returning after illness
  • Cooperation between employees, HR and line managers to create individual solutions
  • Health promotion across the company
  • Training managers and workers to raise awareness about mental illnesses at work
  • Getting line managers to focus on monitoring stress in their teams

The entire study is available for download at the IES website here.

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Article source Institute for Employment Studies (IES) - independent British thinktank focused on sustainable improvements in employment policy and human resource management
Read more articles from Institute for Employment Studies (IES)