Presenteeism

More people who have health problems – either physical or mental – are still showing up for work anyway.

When you’re ill, do you drag yourself into the office? Or still report to work on Slack or email from bed at home – when you should really be sleeping and getting rest? That’s “presenteeism”: working even when it’s really not the best thing for you to be doing. And with the line between home and work becoming increasingly blurrier, it’s a damaging trend that’s on a steep rise.

A UK survey in April showed that 83% of workers observed presenteeism in their organisation, with 25% saying the issue has only exacerbated since 2018. It’s not just people who are sick and bringing their germs into the office, either – it’s workers with mental health issues too, having panic attacks at their desks or feeling guilty or embarrassed to ask their boss for a “mental health day”.

But in between “hustle culture” and the expectation to always be connected remotely, presenteeism isn’t going anywhere, further aggravating problems including arthritis and depression. Work culture needs to change, fast. A 2017 study in the UK showed that presenteeism costs companies £4,000 ($5,017) in lost productivity per employee every year: “it seems that employees aren’t seeking help for their conditions, instead staying at work and suffering in silence”.

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Image credit: Piero Zagami and Michela Nicchiotti.