The aim of this thesis is to investigate how presenteeism research can be reconciled with positive psychology through exploring the relationship between organizational attendance pressure-and adjustment norms, work engagement and presenteeism. The working model this thesis uses to look at this adapts the job demands–resources (JD-R) model to predict whether workers will choose to exhibit presenteeism or be absent in the context of Johns’s dynamic model of presenteeism and absenteeism (2010). Participants were 280 workers from a wide variety of sectors who answered a questionnaire that asked about their psychosocial work environment. The design was cross-sectional. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The results suggest that the motivational process of the JD-R model does not explain presenteeism to a statistically significant degree. However, the positive relationship between organizational adjustment norms and work engagement was significantly greater for workers with a high level of perceived organizational attendance pressure norms versus those who perceived it to be low. This thesis concludes that how presenteeism is measured and from what sectors workers are recruited to be respondents may influence the results and interpretations of it. Future research that investigates the relationship between work engagement and presenteeism may be warranted for finding new ways of measuring presenteeism and to recruit respondents who work in places where presenteeism is less likely to be perceived as negative for their health (e.g.,knowledge workers in universities).

This thesis is the main product of a Masters degree in Health Science, written by a student at the Department of Social Work and Health Science at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The thesis discusses sickness presenteeism in general and sickness presenteeism among nurses in particular. Nursing is one of the occupations that are more exposed to sickness presenteeism. Despite this, very little research has yet been done on this correlation – in Norway, almost none. The thesis consists of two articles. The first article presents the concept of sickness presenteeism along with existing theories and research in general and concerning nurses. This is a theoretical article, in which the purpose is to identify why sickness presenteeism is not an ideal situation for nurses and which work-related factors that influence sickness presenteeism among nurses. The research question for this article is “What work-environmental factors have an influence on nurses sickness presenteeisem?” The second article is an empirical article and is done in connection with a survey of nurses’ sickness presenteeism within a Norwegian hospital. The survey examines the connection between sickness presenteeism and the use of substitutes, different working time arrangements and the influence of teamwork. The purpose of this article is to assess how the three work-environmental factors influences nurses’ sickness presenteeism, conducted with the help of three hypotheses. These are: H1: Working-time arrangements have an influence on sickness presenteeism H2: Low extent of using substitutes is related to higher level of sickness presenteeism H3: Good working relationship between co-workers is related to higher level of sickness presenteeism The empirical work for this master’s thesis has been conducted using a quantitative method. This method was chosen based on a desire to investigate the extent, distribution and differences within sickness presenteeism among nurses. A quantitative method gives an opportunity to investigate a larger group of nurses, and obtain results that can also be valid for other nurses. If a qualitative method were to be used, it would not have been possible to collect information from the same number of nurses and the results would most likely not represent nurses in general because of assumed differences between nurses. By using a qualitative method I was also able to compare the results with results from similar studies done in other countries. Still, the quantitative method has little room for a flexible approach to theory, and does not provide information about what might cause the sickness presenteeism. I still found this method to be the most suitable for what I wanted to achieve in this master’s thesis. A survey based on questions used by other researchers with an interest in the same field, was used to collect data. Using questions that others had already used made the results easier to compare, and also acted as some kind of quality control to the questions I first developed. The choices made concerning the survey, items and analysis is further described in chapter 2.0 Method of my empirical article. The strength and limitations of the method is discussed in chapter 4.1 Strengths and limitations of that same article.

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Media, trade unions and politicians have during the last years described social workers untenable work situation, and research shows that social workers are using strategies as sickness presence to deal with the imbalance between demands and resources. There is an interest in deepening knowledge of the phenomenon of sickness presence among social workers and to analyze the underlying causes that lead to the fact that social workers attend work while they are sick. The purpose of my study is to broaden knowledge for sickness presenteeism among social workers. I wanted to contribute to a better understanding of sickness presenteeism as phenomenon by analyzing social workers experience and wanted my study to focus on detailed descriptions of situations, events and feelings. Therefore I used a qualitative approach and based my study on individual interviews with 11 social workers. The social workers who chose to participate in the interviews are all women. I found several common strategies in the social workers descriptions, which were organized into three themes: loyalty, economy and resignation. The analysis was based on two different kinds of perspectives: one focusing on power and the other focusing on gender. The result shows that sickness presenteeism among social workers can be understood as a result of their attempt to live up to the prevailing male norms in society through paid work and to support the family, while they at the same time is expected to live up to the traditional image of ”a good girl" who prioritize the needs of others before her own health. The needs of others can appear in the form of, for example; clients, colleagues, family finances or the organization.

There has been numerous research that has hypothesised that ‘green’ buildings contribute to more positive outcomes than that of their conventional counterpart, such as increased well-being (psychological and physical) and productivity. However, recent studies have shown that results have been inconclusive, showing a discrepancy within this realm. In the present study, the researcher investigated the relationship between ‘green’ buildings and organisational outcomes (well-being, productivity, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and presenteeism), as well as, factors that may impact on this relationship. This was achieved by examining a sample of participants within the Nedbank Menlyn Maine building, whereby, a 5-star ‘As-Built’ Green Rating has been achieved. A non-experimental, longitudinal, correlational mixed methods design was employed. Quantitative data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental well-being scale, Sick Building Syndrome Questionnaire, perceptions of physical work conditions questionnaire, and single item scales measuring productivity, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and presenteeism. Data was compared over three time frames (approximately 6 months apart) in order to see if there was a change. Qualitative data was collected by means of nine in-depth interviews. Most the results demonstrated that the ‘green’ building did not produce significantly better physical or psychological wellbeing, increased job satisfaction or higher perceived productivity. Qualitative data revealed that green buildings could not be examined in isolation, and that aspects, such as legitimacy of the green concept, education, resistance, unconscious impacts, office design, culture, and health effects needed to be examined in order to understand the quantitative results. The implications of the results and the limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for further research are made.

Employee absenteeism is a global management problem that affects organizational productivity, profits, justice, and employee motivation. A Zambian government agency has little knowledge about absenteeism and the lived experiences of clients regarding staff absenteeism and service delivery. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore employee absenteeism and service delivery through the lens of McGregor's theory x. The research question was about the lived experiences of the agency's clients regarding absenteeism and service delivery. The data were collected through semistructured interviews of 22 purposefully selected clients of the Zambian government agency and were analyzed using the van Kaam method. Findings indicated that health issues of staff and relatives, funerals, alcoholism, demotivation, lack of staff transport, chronic fatigue, staff shortages, poor working conditions and salaries, poor supervision, school runs, laziness and indiscipline, and the transfer of staff affected absenteeism. Absenteeism caused organizational financial losses, inefficiency, reduced productivity, delayed service delivery, damaged the organization's reputation, and created client stress, frustration, and hopelessness. Absenteeism can be significantly reduced by close collaboration between the managers and their subordinates through increased employee engagement, improved incentive rewards programs, and a better understanding of the effects of work-€related stress. Positive social change through the reduction of absenteeism in government agencies can enhance the quality of public services in critical public sectors such as education, health, social welfare, labor, and agriculture.

<p>Tidigare forskning om sjuknärvaro har pekat på både inre personlighetsegenskaper och yttre arbetsrelaterade faktorer som betydelsefulla för fenomenet. Syftet med föreliggande enkätstudie, genomförd på tre arbetsplatser i Mellansverige (N = 76), var att undersöka sjuknärvarons samband med villkorlig självkänsla, baserad på prestationer eller relationer, samt med olika yttre faktorer. Även sjukfrånvaro, som visat sig vara nära knuten till sjuknärvaro, samt självskattad hälsa, beaktades. Resultatet visade att sjuknärvaro inte var relaterad till någon typ av villkorlig självkänsla och av yttre faktorer var det endast upplevelsen av arbetsplatsen som en viktig social funktion som visade ett signifikant samband med sjuknärvaro. Låg självskattad hälsa däremot var relaterad till sjuknärvaro samt prestationsbaserad självkänsla. Framtida forskning bör vidare undersöka den villkorliga självkänslans relation till sjuknärvaro.</p>

Tidigare forskning om sjuknärvaro har pekat på både inre personlighetsegenskaper och yttre arbetsrelaterade faktorer som betydelsefulla för fenomenet. Syftet med föreliggande enkätstudie, genomförd på tre arbetsplatser i Mellansverige (N = 76), var att undersöka sjuknärvarons samband med villkorlig självkänsla, baserad på prestationer eller relationer, samt med olika yttre faktorer. Även sjukfrånvaro, som visat sig vara nära knuten till sjuknärvaro, samt självskattad hälsa, beaktades. Resultatet visade att sjuknärvaro inte var relaterad till någon typ av villkorlig självkänsla och av yttre faktorer var det endast upplevelsen av arbetsplatsen som en viktig social funktion som visade ett signifikant samband med sjuknärvaro. Låg självskattad hälsa däremot var relaterad till sjuknärvaro samt prestationsbaserad självkänsla. Framtida forskning bör vidare undersöka den villkorliga självkänslans relation till sjuknärvaro.

Background: Presenteeism is an economic concept that is difficult to identify, measure, and value. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are three chronic auto-immune conditions that increase levels of presenteeism. Workplace interventions (WPIs) help individuals to manage their health condition at work. Existing methods used to quantify the impact of presenteeism are unable to adequately inform the employer of the productive benefits of WPIs. The overall aim of this thesis was to appraise current methods used to quantify presenteeism and to develop methods to value the impact of presenteeism suitable for use in economic evaluations (EE) of WPIs. Methods: Two systematic reviews were conducted: 1) to assess the extent to which self-report measure of presenteeism were underpinned by economic theory; and 2) to explore if, and how, productivity was quantified and included in EE of WPIs for musculoskeletal conditions (MSDs). Thematic analysis methods were used to analyse qualitative data collected from working individuals with RA, AS or PsA (n=22) that explored the extent to which measures of health status (EQ5D; SF6D) and capability (ICECAP-A) capture the impact on ability to work caused by RA, AS or PsA. Econometric methods were used to specify prediction models that included measures of health status, capability and presenteeism, using a sample of 542 working people with RA and AS. Results The first systematic review identified 24 self-report measures of presenteeism; all, except one measure were not underpinned by economic theory. The second systematic review identified 20 EE of WPIs for MSDs. Absenteeism was included in all studies (n=20); however, presenteeism was included in only four. The qualitative data confirmed measures of health status and capability had the ability to capture those aspects of RA, AS and PsA that impact an individual’s ability to work. The best performing prediction model used an OLS specification including SF6D, age and gender to predict presenteeism measured by the WPAI. Conclusion: The results suggest that HRQoL measures, specifically the SF6D, can be used to capture and predict levels of presenteeism caused by RA, AS and PsA.

Orientador: Sérgio Roberto de Lucca / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T23:24:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_BeatrizMachadodeCamposCorrea_M.pdf: 1307099 bytes, checksum: bf245e0e10eac40c07c5a70348d7b27f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Comparecer ao trabalho doente é um comportamento frequentemente adotado pelos trabalhadores. Esse comportamento, denominado de presenteísmo, é um problema emergente que devido as suas repercussões sociais e econômicas tem despertado a atenção de pesquisadores em diversas áreas e preocupação de gestores por ser difícil de ser percebido. Objetivo: Determinar a prevalência de presenteísmo entre os trabalhadores em uma indústria do setor alimentício. Método: Estudo epidemiológico, de corte transversal, com população de 1.224 trabalhadores, utilizando o Stanford Presenteeism Scale ¿ SPS-6 como método de investigação do presenteísmo. Resultados e Discussão: a avaliação do presenteísmo por meio do SPS-6 revelou que 50,9% dos trabalhadores são presenteístas. Foi possível observar que a prevalência do presenteísmo tende a ser a mais elevada nas seguintes condições de saúde: diabetes (83,3%), doença de pele (62,5%), doenças respiratórias (59,1%), doença renal (53,7). As informações obtidas revelaram que entre os trabalhadores presenteístas a prevalência dos sintomas neuropsíquicos (51,5%) é mais elevada, seguido pelos sintomas gastrointestinais (49,3%), sintomas cardiovasculares (46,2%) e sintomas osteomusculares (45,3%). Também foi possível observar maior frequência de presenteísmo entre trabalhadores que não praticam atividade física e com sobrepeso e obesos (52%). Conclusão: Os resultados encontrados por meio do SPS-6 evidenciam elevada prevalência de presenteísmo entre os trabalhadores da indústria pesquisada. Entre os presenteístas observou-se associação significativa entre obesidade e sedentarismo afetando o desempenho no trabalho. A introdução de programas de educação em saúde, relacionado com alimentação adequada e prática de exercícios poderá contribuir para a redução do presenteísmo nesta empresa / Abstract: to work ill has been a common behavior for workers. This behavior named presenteeism is a rising problem which by its economical and social repercussions has awaked the researches attention in diverse areas and the managers worry. Objective: to determine the presenteeism prevalence at a food industry. Method: Epidemiological, cross-cut study with 1224 workers applying the Stanford Presenteeism Scale - SPS-6 as research method of presenteeism. Results and discussion: the presenteeism evaluation by SPS-6 showed that 50,9% of workers are presenteeist. It has been possible to observe that the presenteeism prevalence is higher on the following health conditions; skins problems 59,6% renal disease 55,6% psychiatric conditions 53,1% headache and heart disease 51,6%. The obtained information showed among the presenteeist workers the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms 51,5% is higher, followed by the gastrointestinal problems 49,3% cardiovascular symptoms 46,2% and osteomuscular symptoms 45,3%. Also was possible to observe more frequency of presenteeism among workers with overweight and obese 52%. Conclusion: The results found by SPS-6 showed high prevalence of presenteeism by disease among works of the researched industry. Among the presenteeísts there was a significant association between obesity and sedentary lifestyle affect job performance. The introduction of health education programs related to proper nutrition and physical exercises can help to reduce presenteeism this company / Mestrado / Epidemiologia / Mestra em Saúde Coletiva