New research finds employees feel pressure to work while sick, which has been shown to cost companies billions

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 9 A.M. ET ON SEPT. 13, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 10, 2024) – 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, according to new research led by University of South Florida Assistant Professor of Psychology Claire Smith. The cost of such behavior, known as “presenteeism,” can be staggering – as much as $150 billion annually, according to Harvard Business Review.

The findings will be published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology on Friday, Sept. 13, at 9 a.m. ET, and the embargo will lift at that time. A PDF of the final journal article can be found here. The paper, “Presenteeism pressure: The development of a scale and a nomological network,” will be accessible at this link on the journal website when it becomes live.

Here are key takeaways from the research, which included separate studies of four groups of individuals:

• 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. It also creates a new tool – the Presenteeism Pressure Scale -- to measure this expectation.
   
• 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.

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About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF serves approximately 50,000 students who represent nearly 150 different countries. U.S. News & World Report has ranked USF as one of the nation’s top 50 public universities for five consecutive years, and this year USF earned its highest ranking ever among all universities public or private. In 2023, USF became the first public university in Florida in nearly 40 years to be invited to join the Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of the leading universities in the United States and Canada. Through hundreds of millions of dollars in research activity each year and as one of the top universities in the world for securing new patents, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.