Ben Moss, business psychologist and managing director at Robertson Cooper, discusses new research on presenteeism in construction and its implications for the industry
Presenteeism is a frequently used term in the workplace and is generally thought to mean “working while unwell”. However, until now there has been a lack of consensus around what employee behaviours the term actually covers.
In our latest research, Seeing Presenteeism Differently, we sought to help businesses gain clarity by providing a precise, universal framework for presenteeism. This would allow businesses to first, measure its ‘real’ prevalence and impact, and then start to manage it more effectively.
The research identified three distinct types of working while unwell
1. Pragmatic presence: When employees perform close to, or at, their full capacity and at the same time recover at least to a certain degree from their health impairment. These are the occasions when employees want to be in work to complete some tasks, despite not feeling their very best.
2. Therapeutic presence: When employees are performing well below their maximum productivity, but they get some form of “therapeutic” benefit by being in work (ie social connection or a sense of purpose). For example, when duties and/or hours are adjusted to aid return to work after a period of illness.
3. Presenteeism, in its true sense, is when employees are unwell and being in work either offers no functionality for the employee or employer (ie, people are too ill to perform their tasks) or has no therapeutic benefit (ie, people do not gain other benefits such as social connection and meaning). This behaviour impacts both the business and individual negatively and must be managed appropriately.
Under these new definitions, only the third type should be classed as presenteeism and managed out of businesses.
Presenteeism in construction
The research found that around 80% of employees across all sectors reported at least one instance of working while unwell in the last three months. It revealed one of the three sectors with the highest recorded instances of presenteeism to be construction.
In addition to presenteeism questions, the survey asked employees what troubles them about various aspects of working life. For the three “high presenteeism” sectors, including construction, the most troubling aspects were identified as:
- Job insecurity and/or the prospect of future job change.
- Lack of feedback on performance.
- Dealing with difficult customers.
- Long hours.
This doesn’t mean that those challenges don’t exist in the lower presenteeism sectors, but the data suggests that those employees were much less troubled by them than those in the higher presenteeism sectors. Therefore, we can assume that some, or all, of these sources of pressure contribute to high presenteeism rates.
What does this mean for the construction industry?
As the research bears out, the construction industry today is still heavily associated with long hours, unusual working patterns and low job security, which can motivate professionals in the sector to work while unwell to prevent losing income.
Furthermore, as a traditionally male-dominated environment, in some cases there is still an element of bravado that can lead to stigma around taking sick leave.
Although not a new concept for the construction sector, in conversations around presenteeism, site-based individuals are all too easily overlooked. However, those working on the tools are just as likely to exhibit presenteeism OR pragmatic presence as those in other roles. With health and safety paramount on-site, understanding which category an employee falls into when they work while unwell becomes critically important for employers and their supervisors.
Our research enables this distinction and provides employers in construction with a framework to effectively manage all types of working while unwell to minimise accidents and long-term impacts on project delivery.
How can presenteeism be managed more effectively?
As our research highlighted, one of the biggest challenges when it comes to health and wellbeing in construction are long hours and varying work schedules making it difficult to take time off when it is needed. Many construction workers may feel as though they need to continue to work, despite being unwell due to pressures within the industry.
Although it won’t happen overnight, the industry must begin to break down work cultures that support genuine presenteeism and shift attitudes so that employees feel more inclined to voice when they feel too unwell to work safely.
On the other hand, pressures to continue to work and complete projects on time will inevitably remain. In that context, the idea of pragmatic presence can be seen as a source of additional productivity (compared with absence), provided that it’s appropriately managed and supported – and doesn’t tip over into ‘true’ presenteeism.
In this sense, the concept of three types of “working while unwell” – where one is unwelcome and two are supported – provides construction employers with new tools for managing employee performance, productivity and wellbeing.
By using Robertson Cooper’s new universal framework, construction companies can finally measure and manage all three types of working while unwell effectively.
Ultimately, this presents the opportunity them to reduce the rate of ‘true’ presenteeism and provide better to support to those who are currently choosing to work while they are unwell.
Ben Moss 
Managing director
Robertson Cooper
Tel: +44 (0)161 232 4910
