A Self-Regulation Perspective on the Relationship between Presenteeism and Productivity Loss

In this study, we aim to unpack the relationship between presenteeism or attending work while ill and productivity losses. The presenteeism literature has been atheoretical. The few theoretical models developed focused on what makes people attend work while ill or the antecedents of presenteeism but not on what happens or on how people manage their illness once they have decided to attend work while ill. We develop a self-regulation model rooted in goal setting theory and multiple goal pursuit on the relationship between presenteeism and productivity. We propose that disease symptoms serve as distractors. When people set high and specific goals, they prioritize performance and distract their attention away from their disease. As such, goals set should moderate the relationship between presenteeism and productivity. We find evidence for this hypothesis which we call the focus hypothesis across two settings, both field and experimental. Overall, this study builds on previous literature and enriches the presenteeism research with a self-regulation model.