The health-performance framework of presenteeism: Towards understanding an adaptive behaviour

Abstract

The substantial health and financial costs of presenteeism are well-documented. Paradoxically, presenteeism also has a positive side, which has been largely overlooked. Emerging evidence shows that presenteeism can be a choice that offers a range of positive benefits to the ‘presentee’ (an employee who works through illness). In this conceptual article, we view presenteeism as purposeful and adaptive behaviour: a dynamic process that serves the purpose of balancing health constraints and performance demands in tandem. We propose a 2×2 framework of presenteeism (therapeutic, functional, overachieving, and dysfunctional) and suggest that the success of the presenteeism adaptation process depends on the availability of internal capacities and flexible work resources. When the workplace is supportive and provides adequate resources to aid adaptation, presenteeism can be a sustainable choice for maintaining performance under impaired health. We examine the role of resources for functional presenteeism by drawing on conservation of resources theory and self-determination theory. This framework can contribute to a better understanding of presenteeism by viewing it as an adaptive process, considering presentees as heterogeneous groups, and exploring the importance of internal and work resources for balancing health and performance demands. It sketches new avenues for research and practice and the effective management of presenteeism, health, and performance.

A Resourceful Work Environment Moderates the Relationship between Presenteeism and Health. A Study Using Repeated Measures in the Swedish Working Population

“…The phenomenon described in the former paragraph may be associated with non-adaptive or “negative” presenteeism, that is, when employees turn up sick at work, e.g., due to attendance pressures or organizational restrictions for sickness absence, even though they would have benefitted from recovering at home [ 13 , 14 ]. In fact, all twelve longitudinal studies that were included in the above cited systematic review on the impact of presenteeism on health and well-being departed from a health deleterious perspective on presenteeism [ 7 ].…”

Creating a Sustainable Workplace Environment: Influence of Workplace Safety Climate on Chinese Healthcare Employees’ Presenteeism from the Perspective of Affect and Cognition

“…This study explored the internal mechanism of the negative relationship between WSC and presenteeism, and to a certain extent, responds to these research appeals of previous scholars. Third, current research on antecedents of presenteeism is mostly theoretical, framework, or literature meta-analysis research [2,3,5,25,26]. This study enriches the empirical research of presenteeism in China.…”

“…The present study integrated organizational, work-related, and person-related factors into a research framework, thus responding to the research appeal of previous scholars [1] and providing a more comprehensive view of the presenteeism decision-making process. Third, previous research on antecedents of presenteeism remains theoretical-, framework-, or literature-meta-analysis-based [2,3,5,25,26]. The present study enriches the empirical research in this field with a specific focus on the Chinese context.…”

“…Future studies should introduce other mediation variables to enrich the research model, and to further expand the research on the internal mechanism with which WSC reduces presenteeism. Third, scholars have suggested that presenteeism may also have positive effects in balancing work performance and physical health [25]. Future research should focus on functional presenteeism and provide empirical evidence as well as practical information for sustainable human resources management.…”

“…WSC positively reduces presenteeism. First, most research on the antecedents of presenteeism focused on individual resources [25] and working characteristics [5,30]. However, few studies focused on the characteristics of the workplace environment [1].…”