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.

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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

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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 an interview with the Times, Jonathan Reynolds said employers "need to judge people on outcomes and not a culture of presenteeism".

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2024

"Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and productive they do need to be able to switch off, and a culture presenteeism can be damaging to productivity."

From BBC • Aug. 19, 2024

It’s this problem, DeRigne said, that perpetuates presenteeism.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2024

“Absenteeism is visible, presenteeism is less so,” she said.

From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2022

"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