presenteeism
prez-uhn-TEE-iz-um
/ˌprez.ənˈtiː.ɪz.əm/
The practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, or severe fatigue, resulting in reduced productivity.
Refers to being physically at a desk but mentally or physically incapacitated, often driven by fear of job insecurity.
The story behind the word. Coined by scholars in the late 20th century as a direct structural counterpart to 'absenteeism'. It gained major academic interest following UK occupational health studies in the 1990s.
Word relationships
- underperformance: Underperformance covers all low output causes, while presenteeism specifically stems from working while sick or exhausted.
- absenteeism: The practice of staying away from work altogether.
- healthy engagement: Working with full capacity, vitality, and well-being.
Commonly confused with
- absenteeism: Absenteeism is missing work completely; presenteeism is attending work while unfit to function efficiently.
Word family
- presentee (noun): An employee who attends work despite being unfit or ill.
Collocations
- culture of presenteeism
- cost of presenteeism
- combat presenteeism
- workplace presenteeism
Idioms & expressions
- showing face
- warm body in a chair
Example sentences
- "Working while suffering from severe flu is a clear example of presenteeism, which ultimately spreads illness and lowers total team output." Workplace Wellness Audit
- "Presenteeism costs European and American businesses billions of dollars annually—far exceeding the cost of actual absenteeism." Harvard Business Review Research (Paul Hemp, Harvard Business Review (2004))
Memory hook
PRESENT + ISM = Being physical PRESENT, but mentally out of it. Working while sick or exhausted.
When not to use
Do not use to describe highly engaged employees working enthusiastically while healthy.
Fun facts
- Research indicates presenteeism is twice as costly to organizations as absenteeism because sick employees make costly mistakes and infect coworkers.
Related words
Explore more words
underemployment, fatigue, burnout, Social loafing, workforce, truancy
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