Digital presenteeism is the expectation or pressure for employees to be available and responsive on digital communication platforms, such as email, instant messaging, or collaboration tools, even during non-working hours or when they are not physically present in the workplace. This phenomenon is often driven by the desire to demonstrate commitment, productivity, and responsiveness, and it can lead to overwork, burnout, and a poor work-life balance.[1][2] It has also been attributed to job insecurity and fear of being made redundant.[3]
Digital presenteeism has become more common following COVID-19.[4][5][6][7][8] Workers may engage in productivity theater to appear busy.[9] Reduced management visibility has been identified as a structural driver of the behavior, with employees linking constant digital availability to concerns about career advancement.[6][7] A 2026 survey of 4,000 remote workers across the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain found that 47.8% worked through illness more frequently than they had in office settings, with 33.8% attributing reduced manager visibility to lost career opportunities. Furthermore, 7.8% reported fully disconnecting from work when unwell.[10]
History
Presenteeism occurs outside of digitally-connected work. In a more general sense, presenteeism is the act or culture of employees continuing to work as a performative measure, despite having reduced productivity levels or negative consequences.[11]
References
- ^ Hughes, Owen (July 25, 2022). “Digital presenteeism is creating a future of work that nobody wants”. ZDNET. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Marsh, Elizabeth; Perez Vallejos, Elvira (2024). “Overloaded by Information or Worried About Missing Out on It: A Quantitative Study of Stress, Burnout, and Mental Health Implications in the Digital Workplace”. SAGE Open. 14 (3) 21582440241268830. doi:10.1177/21582440241268830.
- ^ “How to stamp out ‘digital presenteeism’ among remote workers”. Yahoo Finance. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Hayes II, Julian (March 25, 2024). “The Rising Dark Side Of Remote Work That CEOs Need To Pay Attention To”. Forbes. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Cox, Josie (July 24, 2023). “Why we can’t shake presenteeism”. BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ a b Nowrouzi-Kia, Behdin; Haritos, Alexia M. (2024). “Remote work transition amidst COVID-19: Impacts on presenteeism, absenteeism, and worker well-being—A scoping review”. PLOS ONE. 19 (7) e0307087. Bibcode:2024PLoSO..1907087N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0307087. PMID 39024322.
- ^ a b Ferreira, Aristides I.; Mach, Merce (2022). “Sickness Presenteeism in the Aftermath of COVID-19: Is Presenteeism Remote-Work Behavior the New (Ab)normal?”. Frontiers in Psychology. 12 748053. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.748053. PMC 8830031. PMID 35153891.
- ^ Thomson, Peter; Johnson, Mike; Devlin, J. Michael (24 November 2017). Conquering Digital Overload: Leadership strategies that build engaging work cultures. Springer. p. 148. ISBN 978-3-319-63799-0. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Choi, Woo-Sung; Kang, Seung-Wan (2024). “The dark side of mobile work during non-work hours: moderated mediation model of presenteeism through conservation of resources lens”. Frontiers in Public Health. 12 1186327. Bibcode:2024FrPH…1286327C. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1186327. PMC 10909990. PMID 38439760.
- ^ “The Sick Day Is Dead”. iGaming.com. April 30, 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ^ Johns, Gary (2010). “Presenteeism in the workplace: A review and research agenda”. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 31 (4): 519–542. doi:10.1002/job.630. ISSN 0894-3796.