PRESENTEEISM AND HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE

JESSICA BRUCE

April 9th, 2020

presenteeism

[ prez-uh n-tee-iz-uh m ]

noun: the practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, anxiety, etc., often resulting in reduced productivity.

Reducing the spread of Covid-19 is of paramount concern to medical and governmental authorities worldwide, as well as a general concern for the broader population. A significant number of the early cases of the virus have been linked to occupational exposure. [1] Employees within certain occupations carry an increased risk of contracting the virus, as they are unable to work remotely and come into contact with the broader population more regularly. These occupations include, but are not limited to, healthcare professionals, teachers, as well as employees within other essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies. [2] Problematic to the further spread of Covid-19 is the presence of presenteeism in the workplace. Presenteeism is the act of consciously continuing to attend your workplace when symptomatic for illness. [3] The consequences of presenteeism work against the measures that have been put in place to limit the transmission of the virus.

Efforts have been made across multiple industries within Australia, and globally, to slow the spread of the virus. These measures include the transition of many employees to working remotely from home rather than at the office, and internal measures taken within businesses that remain open. For example, supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths have introduced measures in attempts to limit the transmission of the virus. As of the 26th March, Coles introduced increased cleaning and sanitisation of “high contact areas” within the store (such as trolleys, baskets and self-service screens), signage to remind customers of the 1.5 metre social distancing guideline, and a self-packing requirement to limit the amount of handling of products by staff and to enable a distance to be kept between the employee and the customer. [4] Woolworths have implemented the closure of some self-service and express areas to allow for social distancing guidelines to be met, employees to wipe down baskets and trolleys, and the installation of plexiglass screens at checkouts to provide further hygiene protections. [5] These measures are a few amongst many that businesses are implementing to help minimise the transmission of the disease. However, as mentioned earlier, another challenge inherent within the workplace to slowing the spread of the virus is presenteeism.

A study conducted over 2009-2015 in Queensland found that 14.1% of healthcare workers went to work when ill with the flu. [6] By doing so, presenteeism among healthcare workers was found to put both workers and patients at risk, [7] while the consequences of presenteeism within a healthcare setting are considerably more severe due to the increased risk of transmission to already vulnerable patients such as immunocompromised patients or those with pre-existing respiratory problems. The risk of transmitting the virus to someone who is immunocompromised is a very realistic possibility if presenteeism was to occur in a place such as a hospital. An immunocompromised person is someone who has a weakened immune system and as a result, has a reduced ability to fight infections and diseases. [8] Contracting the virus has more severe consequences for an immunocompromised person than it could have for someone who has a fully functioning immune system as they are at a predisposed disadvantage to fighting the virus.

 A further consequence of presenteeism during Covid-19 within a hospital is the increase in chance of transmission to other workers, who may then act as carriers to spreading the virus further through interaction with other patients and workers. As such, the occurrence of presenteeism within the healthcare system would be counter-productive to all the other governmental and workplace initiatives being implemented to limit the transmission of Covid-19.

So why do people still go to work when sick?

During a time of employment instability, it is possible that employees may continue to go to work even if they are feeling unwell due to the uncertainty surrounding job security. This is an understandable consequence of a fear of job loss and measures should be implemented to ensure employees are not adversely impacted (financially and in regard to job security) for undertaking the required isolation measures if feeling unwell. Healthcare workers may be continuing to work as a result of the pressures placed upon them due to the increase in demand for medical services during the pandemic. The establishment of a field hospital in Central Park in New York City to treat Covid-19 patients is an example of how an increase in demand upon the healthcare sector has required the creation of additional spaces for treatment, and a subsequent need for more staff. [9] This is not an isolated occurrence, as healthcare services are being stretched thin across the world. This environment is such that presenteeism may well be rampant as the global demand on healthcare workers is simply unprecedented in recent times.

More information is needed to determine the degree that presenteeism is evident during the current Covid-19 pandemic. However, one would hope that due to the vast spread of the virus globally and the lockdown measures in place, that every person is abiding by the measures implemented by authorities, and that presenteeism is reduced. Hopefully, the knowledge surrounding the virus will lead people to err on the side of caution when working in occupations where there is regular contact with the broader community and other colleagues.