presenteeism

American  

[prez-uhn-tee-iz-uhm] / ˌprɛz ənˈti ɪz əm /

noun

1. the practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, anxiety, etc., often resulting in reduced productivity.

2. the practice of working long hours at a job without the real need to do so.

---

presenteeism British  

/ ˌprɛzənˈtiːɪzəm /

noun

1. the practice of persistently working longer hours and taking fewer holidays than the terms of one's employment demand, esp as a result of fear of losing one's job

---

Usage

What does presenteeism mean? Presenteeism is the practice of employees habitually coming to work when they shouldn’t—especially coming in sick or working overly long hours.Presenteeism is modeled after absenteeism, which is the opposite: employees habitually not coming to work. Although presenteeism was once used in a neutral or even positive way to refer to workers showing up for their jobs, it is now almost always used negatively.Example: Companies that put an overemphasis on productivity often end up dealing with presenteeism and all of its negative effects—including decreased productivity.

Etymology

Origin of presenteeism

First recorded in 1930–35; present + -ee + -ism; modeled on absenteeism

Example Sentences

In leading the response to these challenges, Biya has brought an unusual personal style that often eschews the front of the stage, without any apparent personal need to engage in diplomatic presenteeism or performative summitry.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2024

In the current environment, the nervous leader who demands attendance risks creating greater presenteeism rather than better results.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

"If as expected things tighten up later this year then presenteeism and being visible in the office will become more important," he said.

From Reuters • Sep. 2, 2022

But the reassurance that Biden was still working remotely despite having COVID-19 may be setting a bad precedent for America, which already has a pervasive "work-while-you're-sick" culture, also known as presenteeism.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2022

"Economic drivers are far more compelling for people and the culture of presenteeism, despite symptoms, is something that we need to look at," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2022