December 5th, 2006

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Words
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Word I Learned: Presenteeism

I forget where I first heard this term–maybe on a news broadcast–but I’ve been familiar with the concept for a while. It’s the opposite of ‘absenteeism’, as Word Spy explains:

presenteeism (prez.un.TEE.iz.um) n. The feeling that one must show up for work even if one is too sick, stressed, or distracted to be productive; the feeling that one needs to work extra hours even if one has no extra work to do.
—presentee n.

Example Citation:
“Anne, who earns Pounds 25,000 a year, would like to start a family but is scared of losing her hard-won career. She and Sam are typical of a workforce now motivated by presenteeism, the exact opposite of absenteeism: being at work when you should be at home, either because you are ill or because you are working such long hours that you are no longer effective.”

It’s not a very pretty word, is it? Being a lazy bastard, I never really suffered from this notion. I blame my mother, who let me stay home from school whenever I felt like it. I liked school, so that was rarely an issue.

I’m self-employed, so I get regular attacks of both absenteeism and presenteeism–sometimes on the same day.

Comments: 6 Responses so far

Heather
December 5th, 2006
10:43 am

There’s another term, too: snot troopers. People who come in when they’re sick. Also sometimes referred to as plague monkeys.

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Laura
December 5th, 2006
10:59 am

Heather, those terms are funny! I’ve never heard them before.

I find “presenteeism” is part of some office cultures, often in large corporations where you are expected to work yourself to death and basically “show face” if you ever want to see a promotion. I’m disgusted to see this behaviour rewarded with raises and promotions in some places, when those showing up are often making me and everyone else sick. I unfortunately work in such a place, and when I’m sick I generally feel extremely guilty if I can’t go in and know it will piss my boss off.

I think that the change needs to come from above, so that employees know it’s okay to stay home in such situations. I’m afraid I can’t remember where I read the report, but presenteeism costs companies just as much as absenteeism by making other workers sick (in the case of illness).

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darren
December 5th, 2006
11:03 am

I’m often hesitant to stereotype along gender lines, but I often think women are worse perpetrators of presenteeism than men. In part this is because, frankly, women are tougher than men when it comes to illness.

And, I suspect, it’s also because men have the benefit of historical dominance in the workplace. Women want to hold onto the near-equality that they’ve recently earned.

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alexis
December 5th, 2006
12:07 pm

Your mother and my mom must have talked, because I was NEVER forced to go to school. In fact, I was the only kid I knew who got to take “mental health” days. This meant that I could stay at home, play my guitar, read and write. I took a lot of these days. In one year, I had an 84 average and 69 absences.

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Andrea Coutu
December 5th, 2006
6:22 pm

I briefly had a half-time position at a company a few years ago. Near the end of my contract, I called in sick four days before a tradeshow. I left detailed instructions about how to manage the situation — mostly by email, because I couldn’t even talk. On the day before the show, I phoned and said I couldn’t come in. The VP insisted that I come to work anyway. I hauled myself to work and did whatever I could. He then chewed me out for being sick when I didn’t have sick time — um, so don’t pay me for those days?) He went on and on about how only losers took sick time and how he had never taken a sick day in his career. He told me that I’d better show up the next day for the tradeshow. I should note I had no voice and was obviously infectious.

I showed up for the tradeshow. However, the VP did some stuff to sabotage my taxi ride, so I had to haul the tradeshow kit from Coal Harbour to Canada Place. I then set up the booth by myself. I tried to talk to prospects, but it wasn’t working. I started coughing up blood and grew faint. I told the VP and he told me that the tradeshow was really important. Faced with a decision, I squeaked out instructions for the senior sales staff instructions. And then I went home.
On the Monday, the VP told me my contract wasn’t being renewed because I didn’t have commitment…and then went on a rant about sick time.

I’ve never understood why anyone would think illness was a moral failure.

[Reply]

Jim Turner
December 6th, 2006
10:16 am

Heather is no longer allowed to use snot and monkeys in same comment ever agin. Why because I blew a snot monkey all over my screen when I read her comment.

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