Working when sick bad for health and business
14 June 2011
Working when you are sick, known as 'presenteeism', is bad for both health and productivity, an expert says.
Professor Kevin Dew, from the School of Social and Cultural Studies at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, wrote in a British Medical Journal editorial that evidence suggests the pressure to work when sick is "intense", particularly in jobs involving caring or teaching (BMJ 2011; 342: d3446).
"More effort is needed to prevent this health-debilitating behaviour," he wrote, citing a study that showed when a third of doctors and nurses worked instead of taking sick leave, their working capacity was nearly halved.
Last Reviewed: 15 June 2011
- 1. Dew K. Pressure to work through periods of short term sickness [editorial]. BMJ 2011; 342: d3446. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d3446. http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d3446.full (accessed Jun 2011).
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