Presenteeism at work: causes and consequences of this phenomenon

Going to work without being in good condition entails serious costs for both the company and the employee.

The presenteeism is one of the is one of the most important problems facing companies today. There are many factors that can affect an organization's performance, and the socioeconomic and social environment is extremely important in this regard.

Since the onset of the economic crisis in Spain, the working conditions of many employees have changed, the working conditions of many employees have changedSince the economic crisis began in Spain, the working conditions of many employees have changed, and the fear of losing their jobs can lead many workers to remain in their jobs despite not being fully motivated or unhappy.

Presenteeism at work or "empty chair syndrome": causes and consequences

In our article "The Survivor Syndrome: working in times of crisis can damage your health" we talked about the negative consequences of the crisis for the well-being of the worker. The presenteeismon the other hand, has a negative impact on the organization as employee productivity and performance decreases.

Presenteeism or absenteeism at work: what is it?

The absenteeism o work absenteeismrefers to attending and being present at the workplace, but devoting part of the working day to other functions that are not work-related.. Among these functions we can find: connecting to social networks, consulting web pages, making calls, etcetera.

Despite the fact that presenteeism is the opposite of absenteeismThe consequences for the organization are just as damaging.

Negative consequences of absenteeism at work

In the past, the main problem for organizations was absenteeism. absenteeismHowever, as absenteeism has declined due to the economic crisis, the percentage of employees suffering from presenteeism has increased. According to Adecco, one out of every two Spanish companies admits to having up to 10% of workers who are absent from work.. On the other hand, a study by Harvard Business Review seems to indicate that absenteeism costs U.S. companies around $150 billion a year.

Despite the reduction in absenteeism, there has been no improvement in companies' productivity and work performance, since what has happened is that the phenomenon of absenteeism has given way to that of presenteeism. Employees seem to be aware of the difficult labor market situation and do not want to risk losing their jobs. So, they come to the workplace so that they cannot be accused of being absent, but nevertheless, their dedication in those hours is not as efficient as it should be. their dedication during those hours is not as efficient as it should be..

Negative effects for the company

Knowing this, it is worth mentioning that absenteeism affects the organization in different ways:

• Decreasing the productivity of the worker and the organization.

• By worsening the employee's occupational healthBy: Presenteeism in the long run causes fatigue and boredom (also called 'Boreout Syndrome').

• Encouraging the transmission of diseasesWhen the person is sick but decides to go to work in order not to lose his job, it can favor the transmission of diseases.

Factors influencing presenteeism at work

If these are the consequences of having presenteeism at work, we must ask ourselves the following questions what motivates employees to engage in presenteeism-related behavior .. Below is a list of the most common causes:

• Lack of job security The lack of job security may cause an individual to not want to be absent from work despite being sick or unmotivated, as the uncertainty of being able to get a job again may cause them to not want to lose their job under any circumstances.

• Individuals working in certain jobs may be more prone to presenteeism. Research seems to indicate that teachers and health care professionals are more vulnerable to presenteeism.

• Jobs with heavier workloads are associated with more cases of presenteeism, as workers may want to avoid the backlog if they are absent from work.

• Excessive pressure from superiors is also a factor causing presenteeism.

• Lack of motivation is behind many cases of presenteeism. In addition, other possible causes may be: lack of promotion and the performance of monotonous tasks in their jobs.