Employees feel pressure to work while sick, costing companies billions

According to new research employees often feel pressure to work while sick, leading to lost productivity, deviant behaviors such as theft and mistreatment of coworkers and intent to leave the organization. The national cost in the US of such behavior, known as “presenteeism,” can be staggering – as much as $150 billion annually.

The findings are published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

The findings of the study are interesting and worth noting:

• While missing work, known as absenteeism, can hurt productivity, going to work while sick, or presenteeism, costs even more. The research introduces the concept of presenteeism pressure, which is when workplaces expect employees to always come in.

• Employees often go to work while sick because they feel pressure from their workplace. In a study of 764 workers, many said they worked while unwell not solely due to personal motivations but because their organization made it seem normal or expected. This shows how much workplace rules and culture can influence attendance behavior.

• When employees feel presenteeism pressure, they evaluate their organization negatively – interpreting it as a lack of care for employee well-being, leading to lower satisfaction and commitment. This finding was backed by data from over 800 workers from a diverse set of industries.

• The study also found that pressure to work while sick was linked to negative effects, like more unproductive and even deviant behavior, and a greater chance of employees wanting to quit. This was backed by data from 350 workers followed over three months, showing the staggering costs of pushing people to work when they’re unwell.

So, what? Interestingly the research for this study was done post-COVID. I would like to see the same study replicated a coupler of years from now when the “back to the office” move has got up a bit more steam.

Note: I was unable to get any quotes from the study researchers or authors.