Explaining presenteeism behaviour with the theory of planned behaviour - a longitudinal study.

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Presenteeism, working while ill, poses risks to productivity and health.
• Understanding the psychological drivers of presenteeism is crucial for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate presenteeism using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).
• To examine the association between attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and presenteeism.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study with 2814 employees across 16 companies.
• Survey data collected at two time points using validated scales and vignettes.
• Analysis included cluster analysis and linear mixed-effects regression to evaluate the TPB model.

Main Results:

• Three distinct clusters of attitudes toward presenteeism were identified.
• The TPB model explained a significant portion of presenteeism variance (27.8% fixed, 52.6% combined).
• Presenteeism was associated with job demands, work-privacy conflict, and leadership culture; attitudes were strong predictors.

Conclusions:

• The Theory of Planned Behaviour effectively explains presenteeism.
• Individual attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are key determinants.
• Promoting a health-supportive culture and open communication about illness may reduce presenteeism.