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Updated: Dec 4, 2025
Remote Laboratory Management: Respiratory Virus Diagnostics
Published on: April 6, 2019
Healthcare personnel absenteeism, presenteeism, and staffing challenges during epidemics
Douglas W Challener1, Laura E Breeher2, JoEllen Frain3
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Objective:
Presenteeism is an expensive and challenging problem in the healthcare industry. In anticipation of the staffing challenges expected with the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined a decade of payroll data for a healthcare workforce. We aimed to determine the effect of seasonal influenza-like illness (ILI) on absences to support COVID-19 staffing plans.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting:
Large academic medical center in the United States.
Participants:
Employees of the academic medical center who were on payroll between the years of 2009 and 2019.
Methods:
Biweekly institutional payroll data was evaluated for unscheduled absences as a marker for acute illness-related work absences. Linear regression models, stratified by payroll status (salaried vs hourly employees) were developed for unscheduled absences as a function of local ILI.
Results:
Both hours worked and unscheduled absences were significantly related to the community prevalence of influenza-like illness in our cohort. These effects were stronger in hourly employees.
Conclusions:
Organizations should target their messaging at encouraging salaried staff to stay home when ill.
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