Observer Reactions to Absenteeism versus Presenteeism: A Scenario Study

Attending work while ill, commonly called presenteeism, has important repercussions for employee well-being, employing organizations, and theory in the area of attendance at work. This study examines contextual conditions and individual differences that influence people’s attributions and judgments about employees’ decisions to attend work or to be absent when ill. We employed a 2x2x2x2 between-respondents experimental design using scenarios describing the absence/presence of an employee in order to assess such judgments. Manipulated variables include attendance behavior (presence versus absence), type of illness (lower back pain or depression), and two contextual variables of work; having a backup worker and the impact of absence on clients.