🤒 No sick days? How remote work is changing the way we work when ill
- Marc Fullman
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
(Source: The University of Manchester)
Working from home and digital technology may be making it easier for employees to work while ill and blurring the boundaries between work and home, according to a new study.
The paper, by Professor Sir Cary Cooper of The University of Manchester, Professor Luo Lu of National Taiwan University and Professor Shu-Fang Kao of Soochow University, argues that traditional definitions of presenteeism no longer reflect the realities of modern working life.
The researchers say the widespread adoption of remote and hybrid working means many employees no longer need to physically go into the workplace to do their jobs while unwell. Instead, they can remain at home, respond to emails or messages, attend virtual meetings or carry out urgent tasks while ill.
The study argues that this creates new challenges for understanding the impact of an increasingly 'always-on' workplace culture.
Key findings
- Presenteeism is no longer simply about going into work while sick - people can now work while unwell from home or elsewhere.
- Digital technology can make it harder to switch off, with employees potentially feeling pressure to remain available through email, messaging platforms and other workplace technology even outside normal working hours.
- Mental health needs to be recognised alongside physical illness when considering why people work while unwell, as existing research has focused heavily on physical sickness.
- Working while ill can take different forms - from completing a normal working day remotely to doing only urgent tasks or checking emails intermittently.
- Employers should consider whether workers have flexibility to reduce their hours or workload when ill, rather than treating working while sick as an inherently good or bad behaviour.
"Someone working from their sofa while ill, answering emails and dealing with urgent requests, is still working while sick - even though they have not physically gone into the workplace. The challenge for employers is to make sure that technology and flexible working are used to support people's health, rather than creating an expectation that they should always be available." - Professor Sir Cary Cooper
The authors argue that future research should examine whether giving employees greater control over their location, working hours and workload can make presenteeism a more adaptive behaviour. They also call for greater attention to mental health-related presenteeism, which they say has been relatively neglected by existing research.
The researchers stress that working while sick should not automatically be regarded as either positive or negative. Instead, they argue that understanding how someone works while unwell - and the circumstances surrounding that decision - is essential to understanding its effects on health and performance.
The paper concludes that organisations need to strike a balance between maintaining performance and protecting employee wellbeing as digital technology continues to reshape the workplace.
Link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.36922/HPR026130066
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