Revisiting presenteeism to broaden its conceptualization: A qualitative study

Presenteeism is generally viewed as a symptom of organizational or individual dysfunction and is rarely considered as a behavioral response to positive triggering factors. Our study examines this issue in small enterprises (SEs), which are an unexplored environment in terms of presenteeism.

Through in-depth analysis, this study aims to understand the positive and negative factors that impact presenteeism in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a particular focus on SEs.

We adopt a qualitative methodological approach in which we conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with employees and owner-managers of SEs with between 20 and 49 employees.

Our thematic analysis shows that presenteeism can be explained by factors related to pressure to attend work, by individuals' constraints and commitment, by organizational and individual characteristics and by a congenial work environment. Presenteeism can also be a type of "therapy" which helps individuals to avoid focusing on being sick and enables them to stay active and avoid social isolation.

Our study differs from earlier research by providing a more in-depth analysis of the positive and negative factors that trigger presenteeism. This article will help to expand the current theoretical knowledge about presenteeism and encourage a more holistic interpretation of the phenomenon.