Sickness presenteeism in remote work: Insights from a systematic review

The increase in remote work, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advancements, has introduced numerous challenges for both employees and employers, including those related to health-related behaviors such as presenteeism. The aim of this paper is to identify the main determinants and reasons for presenteeism in remote and hybrid work, as well as key methodological aspects in researching this phenomenon. The study also highlights research gaps in the current body of knowledge and discusses implications based on the analysis of selected studies. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and content analysis were applied to 425 papers retrieved from the Scopus database. The findings reveal that presenteeism increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main determinants of presenteeism include job demands, career pressure, access to sick leave, telework experience, overtime hours, indirect work control, employee health, supervisor support, detachment from work, and organizational culture. Specifically, presenteeism is negatively related to supervisor support and the ability to psychologically detach from work, while formal rules regarding presence and absence in the workplace play a role in explaining presenteeism in remote work environments. Most employees describe the home work environment as more “comfortable” for working while ill or unwell, which helps explain the higher level of presenteeism in remote work compared to on-site work. The main contributing factors included the ability to take breaks when needed, support from household members, and access to a better physical workspace. Finally, decisions to work while ill are shaped by factors such as how often one experiences illness, their general health condition, symptom severity and type, and personal illness perceptions. The findings underscore the need for flexible workplace policies and leadership approaches that promote employee health and support sustainable work practices.