The concept of presenteeism obviously took on a new light during a pandemic in which infecting our colleagues took on life-changing meaning. As employers restrict the ability to stay home when infected it has renewed importance, however, and research from Trinity College Dublin aims to understand why people come in when clearly unwell.

The study found that we’re far more likely to go to work despite being sick when we’re struggling to meet our daily goals. What’s more, the act of doing this drains our mental energy, which can last for a few days.

A costly problem

Presenteeism is widely associated with a range of workplace problems, including productivity loss, burnout, and impaired workability. What is perhaps interesting is that the study highlights the root cause of most of these issues is the depletion of mental resources caused by presenteeism.

“It is crucial to tackle daily presenteeism, especially for remote workers. Managers should openly discourage presenteeism by reassuring team members that if they feel unwell it is acceptable to reduce their daily work goals and instead tend to their health,” the authors explain. “In light of the energy-depleting nature of presenteeism if employees engage in presenteeism they should work on tasks that are inherently pleasant rather than tedious tasks that further drain their energy.”

As such, while it may seem like a good idea, and indeed a heroic idea, to struggle through, the study clearly shows that doing this has a knock-on effect on our performance the following day due to the drain on our psychological energy, which generally cannot be replenished the following day or in our time off.