Two definitions of presenteeism: sickness presenteeism and impaired work function.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Human Resources

Background:

• Presenteeism, defined as working while unwell, lacks a unified definition, with
• sickness presenteeism
• and
• impaired work function
• being two major interpretations.
• This definitional ambiguity hinders the comparison of existing research on presenteeism.
• Existing evidence comparing studies on presenteeism is insufficient due to varying definitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between sickness presenteeism and impaired work function.
• To provide insights for comparing existing studies on presenteeism.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of secondary data from 5334 employees in a Japanese construction company.
• Impaired work function was measured using the Work Functioning Impairment Scale (WFun).
• Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to examine associations.

Main Results:

• A significant linear association was found between the number of days of sickness presenteeism and impaired work function (P < 0.001).
• Sickness absence showed only a partial positive association with impaired work function.
• Mental health problems (aOR = 20.45), malaise (aOR = 11.91), and sleeping problems (aOR = 8.62) were strongly associated with impaired work function.

Conclusions:

• A strong relationship exists between sickness presenteeism and impaired work function, irrespective of chronic health conditions.
• This study supports the comparability of existing research by demonstrating a link between the two major definitions of presenteeism.
• Further consensus on presenteeism definitions is needed, but this research offers valuable comparative insights.