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Presenteeism: A Costly Affair for Employers

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Presenteeism
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Abstract

The term presenteeism was coined by Cary Cooper, professor of Organizational Psychology and Health, Lancaster University. ‘Dictionary.com’ defines presenteeism from two different angles: ‘The practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, anxiety, etc., often resulting in reduced productivity’; and ‘The practice of working long hours at a job without the real need to do so’. In fact, various authors have described the nature and impact of presenteeism differently to reflect how they view this type of employee behaviour. Some of their definitions are presented in Box 2.1.

‘Presenteeism’ as defined by scholars

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© 2013 Hesan Quazi

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Quazi, H. (2013). Presenteeism: A Costly Affair for Employers. In: Presenteeism. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137275677_2

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