Issue of Presenteeism in Organizations: Implications for Health, Performance and Attitudes

This article begins with a review of the literature on presenteeism, highlighting the variations in research findings, and the need for greater precision in our measurement of presenteeism. Based on both theoretical and methodological limitations of existing approaches, the research paper moves on to provide a clarification and extension of the ‘presenteeism’ construct, demarcating this from other typologies on a sliding scale, rather than a simple dichotomy. This article presents the development of a 17-item measure of ‘presenteeism’. Using six samples (including multisource data), the authors developed a reliable scale with a uni-dimensional factor structure that is replicated across four separate studies. The scale possessed both convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion- related validity was demonstrated through the scale’s relation with individual attitudinal and performance related constructs (self and other report) within the Indian Call Centre (CC) context. Overall, the present studies suggest that the Presenteeism Scale is a reliable and valid measure and that the presenteeism construct has important implications for both individuals and organizations.