presenteeism
Americannoun
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the practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, anxiety, etc., often resulting in reduced productivity.
-
the practice of working long hours at a job without the real need to do so.
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"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
However, once the coronavirus began to spread, many wondered if presenteeism would wane as the public grew more fearful of those with a cough or sniffle — but that didn’t seem to last long.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 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
Leah Hibbs of Cardiff University said she was "cautiously optimistic" about the progress but warned against a return to presenteeism.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
