Why do workers go to work when they are sick? A new study aimed to improve understanding of the main causes of “presenteeism,” as well as to help make managers more aware of the existence of the growing phenomenon, and what triggers the behavior.
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Job demands, such as workload, understaffing, overtime, time pressure, and finding job coverage, along with difficulty of finding cover and personal financial difficulties, were found to be key reasons why people might not take a day off.
One of the significant links to presenteeism is the severity of organizational policies used to monitor or reduce staff absence, such as strict trigger points for disciplinary action, job insecurity, limited paid sick leave, or few sick days allowed without a note from a healthcare provider.