Greetings, and welcome to our ninth episode of the EnT this season! We’re glad you’re here for this discussion on presenteeism… a word previously unknown to either Doug or myself… which speaks to “the act of staying at work longer than usual, or going to work when you are ill, to show that you work hard and are important to your employer” as per the Cambridge Dictionary! This is, obviously, a widespread phenomenon in educational workplaces everywhere, and it’s about the time, in the northern hemisphere, for seasonal colds and other associated ailments to appear!

We’re committed to this video… in sickness and in health! #ednontech

Here’s hoping this audio finds you as healthy as humanly possible! #ednontech

IMG_20251109_0001

Touch us, we’re sick #ednontech

Problems in the school environment, as indicated by poor Indoor Air Quality, as well as pupil school dissatisfaction and bullying, are associated with increased risk of short-term sick leaves among teachers.

Ervasti, J., Kivimäki, M., Puusniekka, R., Luopa, P., Pentti, J., Suominen, S., … & Virtanen, M. (2012). Students’ school satisfaction as predictor of teachers’ sickness absence: A prospective cohort study. The European Journal of Public Health, 22(2), 215-219.

The highest sector presenteeism is largely to be found in the education sectors (46%).

In the group of compulsory school teachers, the risk of sickness presenteeism is also more than quadrupled. Pre-primary educationalists (preschool teachers and recreation organisers) and child minders also have a substantially increased risk of being present at work when sick.

Aronsson, G., Gustafsson, K., & Dallner, M. (2000). Sick but yet at work. An empirical study of sickness presenteeism. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 54(7), 502-509.

Sickness presence (SP) refers to going to work despite illness.

The main findings from the study among students in secondary schools were that some SP during a school year may be more common than no SP, and that one in four students in Lower Secondary School and one in three students in Upper Secondary School reported high SP. 

Johansen, V. (2015). Sick and still at school: an empirical study of sickness presence among students in Norwegian secondary school. BMJ open, 5(9), e008290.

Work from home while being infected with Covid-19; a phenomenon called virtual presenteeism.

Sickness presence is the outcome of the increasing precarity and job insecurity in the sector, as well as the outcome of a presenteeism culture in academia which is being facilitated by technology and the blended learning approach adopted during the pandemic. 

Hadjisolomou, A., Mitsakis, F., & Gary, S. (2022). Too scared to go sick: Precarious academic work and ‘presenteeism culture’in the UK higher education sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. Work, Employment and Society, 36(3), 569-579.

One significant concern related to mental health is that it gives way to presenteeism – the phenomenon of employees being physically present at work but performing below capacity due to illness. 

Izegbu, O. (2022). Going Through the Motions: Policy Considerations for Addressing Mental Health-Related Worker Presenteeism in Canada.

Presenteeism

How can we actually support wellness for educators?

It was seen as being acceptable

Here comes sickness
Moving up my block
When she comes to my house
I hope she don’t knock #ednontech