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HR glossary

What is Presenteeism at Work? Meaning and Example

Presenteeism is when employees come to work, or stay logged in, while they are too unwell, exhausted or distracted to work properly. They are present on the attendance record, but their output and often their health suffer, and illnesses such as flu can spread to colleagues.

Why presenteeism happens

People come in sick when they fear losing pay, collecting a penalty or losing their manager's goodwill. It also happens when workloads are so tight that a day off means double work later, or when a team praises people who never take leave. It shows up especially among employees who used up their sick leave early in the year, and among daily-rated workers for whom a day away means a day unpaid.

Presenteeism versus absenteeism

Absenteeism is visible: the employee is not there, and attendance shows it. Presenteeism is hidden: attendance looks perfect, but the work does not. A team with very low absence and rising errors, missed deadlines or frequent minor accidents may have a presenteeism problem. Policies that punish every absence harshly tend to trade one problem for the other.

Reducing presenteeism

HR can spot some signs in data, such as long stretches with no leave at all, very long working hours, and more errors or incidents in a team. Check on individuals privately rather than naming them in reviews, and look at what the rules push people to do.

Example: Karan Malhotra, a sales coordinator in Delhi, came to work with a high fever on 2 and 3 March 2026 because he had used his sick leave in January. On 3 March he sent a quotation with wrong prices to a key customer, and two colleagues caught the flu the next week. His manager sent him home, and HR later changed the policy so that sick leave could go two days below zero.

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Frequently asked questions

What is presenteeism with an example?

Presenteeism is being at work while not fit to work properly. For example, an accountant with a migraine comes to the office because she has no sick leave left, sits at her desk all day, and makes errors in a vendor payment file that take two days to fix. She was present on the attendance record, but the day was costly.

Is presenteeism worse than absenteeism?

It can be harder to manage because it is invisible. An absent employee shows up in attendance data; a present but unwell or burnt-out employee does not. Both hurt the business, and the aim is not to push one down at the cost of the other, but to have leave rules and a culture where people take time off when they need it.

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