New research finds employees feel pressure to work while sick, which has been shown to cost companies billions

Employees often feel pressure to work while sick, leading to lost productivity, deviant behaviors such as theft and mistreatment of coworkers and intent to leave the organization, according to new research led by University of South Florida Assistant Professor of Psychology Claire Smith. The cost of such behavior, known as “presenteeism,” can be staggering—as much as $150 billion annually, according to Harvard Business Review.

The findings were published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology on Friday, Sept. 13.

Here are key takeaways from the research, which included separate studies of four groups of individuals:

• While missing work, known as absenteeism, can hurt productivity, going to work while sick, or presenteeism, costs even more. The research introduces the concept of presenteeism pressure, which is when workplaces expect employees to always come in. It also creates a new tool—the Presenteeism Pressure Scale—to measure this expectation.
• Employees often go to work while sick because they feel pressure from their workplace. In a study of 764 workers, many said they worked while unwell not solely due to personal motivations but because their organization made it seem normal or expected. This shows how much workplace rules and culture can influence attendance behavior.
• When employees feel presenteeism pressure, they evaluate their organization negatively—interpreting it as a lack of care for employee well-being, leading to lower satisfaction and commitment. This finding was backed by data from over 800 workers from a diverse set of industries.
• The study also found that pressure to work while sick was linked to negative effects, like more unproductive and even deviant behavior, and a greater chance of employees wanting to quit. This was backed by data from 350 workers followed over three months, showing the staggering costs of pushing people to work when they’re unwell.