Presenteeism: Alive and "well" in 2010?

We should remember that the term 'presenteeism' also refers to the practice of coming in early and staying late "because thats the culture round here". Its rife in many companies and very wrong.

In 2010 it is sad that we still make huge assumptions about someones productivity simply on the basis of where they are. Working from home, with very few exceptions, is still seen as 'not really working' by many which is ludicrous.

I have an iphone sitting by my laptop right now, and together, they mean i can access anything, anywhere. I could travel half way round the world and you wouldnt know i wasnt sitting in my office in Richmond. If you need to see me, there is always skype.

Quite when organisations will realise just how wasteful and unproductive it is to 'expect' people to be in the office for extended hours, or expecting them to make the commute im not sure.

Thank you for your comment, Gareth.

You are right that long-hours cultures can in some cases give rise to the risk of presenteeism, and to the risk of employees storing up associated health problems, such as excessive stress levels. And as you note, long-hours culture can consequently sometimes prove to be "wasteful and unproductive".

Your point that technological innovation and the rise of social media mean that employees in some jobs need not necessarily be in the office at all is a very interesting one. It also resonates with a comment left on my post entitled HR & social media: No more annual appraisals, employee opinion surveys or job interviews by 2015? earlier today by Sukh Pabial.

Sukh envisions a likely crossover point between personal and professional use of social media, and considers what this will mean for the workplace.

There is the potential for some extent of blending or blurring to occur between personal and professional use of social media.

This also calls into question the traditional demarcations between work and home life, and has potential implications for the future of long-hours cultures in some workplaces.

Kind regards

Michael

Agile working where it is implemented and managed well is certainly a panacea for office work. However, there are dangers if work/life boundaries are not established managed and supported. Otherwise it may lead some to see remote working as the new "sweatshop" or "virtual presenteeism". Always on 24/7 working.

Thanks for the comment, Paul.

"Virtual presenteeism" is a very interesting turn of phrase. In some ways reminiscent of the Kevin Spacey character's warning in the film Swimming With Sharks that being issued with a pager (the then-current 1994 equivalent of social media connectivity?) only meant "they have you on a shorter leash".

You are of course absolutely right that remote working via modern technologies must be implemented and managed effectively if it is to represent a viable alternative to traditional ways of working in some workplace.

Kind regards

Michael

This study underlines the findings of a report by the Work Foundation published in April 2010 which also highlighted the risks related to 'presenteeism' although the author, Katherine Ashby, used the term 'sickness presence' to avoid the confusion referred to in one of the other comments here. The report, 'Why do employees come to work ill?' claimed sickness presence accounted for one and a half times the working time lost by sickness absence.

In the same week that Britain has been labelled as the 'sickie man' (or should that be 'person') of Europe, it's somewhat ironic that presenteeism is also being examined.

Of course, the industry the individual works in is a determining factor. Upon graduation, I was unfortunate to be chained to the shackles of a retail job, where absence due to illness was an almighty issue. This was due in no small part to the fact that the business would be one body down for the day, which in a busy retail environment, can prove challenging.

However, in the office environment I currently work in, presenteeism is actively discouraged, with an HR function that supports remote working and staff welfare above attendance records. Work is based around tasks and objectives - many of which can be completed remotely.

I guess it stands to reason that presenteeism is determined by the culture of the organisation an individual works for - which is a shame, as I think it needs to be addressed, whether you are an office worker or a retail employee.

In the same week that Britain has been labelled as the 'sickie man' (or should that be 'person') of Europe, it's somewhat ironic that presenteeism is also being examined.

Of course, the industry the individual works in is a determining factor. Upon graduation, I was unfortunate to be chained to the shackles of a retail job, where absence due to illness was an almighty issue. This was due in no small part to the fact that the business would be one body down for the day, which in a busy retail environment, can prove challenging.

However, in the office environment I currently work in, presenteeism is actively discouraged, with an HR function that supports remote working and staff welfare above attendance records. Work is based around tasks and objectives - many of which can be completed remotely.

I guess it stands to reason that presenteeism is determined by the culture of the organisation an individual works for - which is a shame, as I think it needs to be addressed, whether you are an office worker or a retail employee.

Thank you very much indeed for the comment, Callum. Sounds like Stopgap is a very acceptable place to work, if your comment and that from Gareth are anything to go by!

I agree entirely that what constitutes presenteeism can vary widely by organisation, and that it can be determined (or even - potentially, in some cases - distorted) by organisational culture.

Kind regards

Michael