Recommendations

In this chapter, we dedicated our attention to clarifying the topic of presenteeism in a new, under studied line of research that links organizational flexibility and productivity. Based on previous research, we established a presenteeism climate as a multidimensional construct directly influenced by the organization environment, and one in which the existence of certain conditions can promote sickness presence behaviours (Ferreira et al., 2015; Gosselin et al., 2013). In light of these evidences, encouraging flexible work environments can be a way to reduce the negative consequences of a presenteeism climate in the workplace. We reviewed several organizational features that could explain the link between presenteeism and flexibility. More importantly, we extended our understanding of presenteeism in an integrated model where the intersection of different levels of productivity and flexibility suggest the existence of four different typologies of employees in the workplace.

HighFlexHiPro is a label attributed to those employees who, despite going to work while ill, have lower levels of productivity losses because their flexible work setting allows them to benefit from the positive strengths associated with those work environments.

HighFlexRedPro is a label characterized by work contexts with high flexibility and a positive organizational climate, which helps individuals to hide the negative effects of their health problem, which in turn can cause reduced productivity in employees who decide to go to work ill. Along the opposite axis of flexibility, LoFlexRedPro is associated with the appearance of employee profiles that, despite making an effort to work while sick, reveal lower levels of productivity due to an absence of flexibility and poor working conditions. Finally, the LoFlexHiPro is a label related to work environments with no flexibility, where the pressures from supervisors and peers require that employees go to work while sick and maintain higher levels of productivity.

In general, in this chapter, we highlight the importance of creating flexible organizational climates that can help to manage employees’ health in the workplace in an appropriate manner. By developing more flexible arrangements, workers may deal with the negative effects of presenteeism in a more powerful way, which can help to prevent stress, burnout and long-term sickness absence (Jensen et al., 2017; MacGregor & Cunningham, 2018). Moreover, we believe that our productivity-flexibility framework of presenteeism adds to the literature by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics underlying the process of deciding to go to work while sick, as well as the trajectories between the different types of presenteeism behaviour.

We recommend organizations to foster a culture that supports individuals’ wellbeing, allowing them to take time off from work when needed. Implementing these policies will help to manage presenteeism in organizations, increase productivity and contribute to a healthier life. For our final recommendation, companies can implement wellness programmes that can help workers to focus on their health, such as nutrition and exercise programmes, health assessments or free flu vaccinations. Healthier employees not only lead to lower rates of sick leave but also to a more engaged workforce. We believe that flexible work contexts can have a positive effect on health outcomes (Clarke & Holdsworth, 2017), contributing to healthier employees and greater work-life balance.

Note

1 Funding: This work was supported by Funda^ao para a Ciencia e a Tecnología, grant SFRH/BD/134420/2017.