A Preliminary Investigation of Health and Work-Environment Factors on Presenteeism in the Workplace

Authors

Alisha McGregor, University of WollongongFollow
Fred D. Ashbury, University of Wollongong, University of Toronto
Peter Caputi, University of WollongongFollow
Donald C. Iverson, Swinburne University of TechnologyFollow

RIS ID

132321

Publication Details

McGregor, A., Ashbury, F., Caputi, P. & Iverson, D. (2018). A Preliminary Investigation of Health and Work-Environment Factors on Presenteeism in the Workplace. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60 (12), e671-e678.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the health and work-environment factors that are associated with presenteeism.

METHOD: A self-report survey that measured presenteeism, 13 health conditions (eg, stress and allergies), and nine work-environment factors (eg, job strain and leadership) was completed by 229 workers.

RESULTS: The most common health condition was stress, while the most common work-environment factor was job strain. Allergies, asthma, and high blood pressure along with work-life imbalance, poor leadership, and a lack of development opportunities were associated with presenteeism. Finally, several inter-relationships between the health and work-environment factors were also reported.

CONCLUSION: Interventions targeted at the points of intersection among the health conditions and work-environment factors could be a cost-effective way to improve employees' overall well-being at work, and thus reduce presenteeism.