Dysfunctional presenteeism : effects of physical and mental health on work performance

Poor health in the workforce is costly to employers and the economy. This is partly due to health problems causing people to spend less time at work but is also due to people being less productive while at work. In this paper, we investigate the causes of dysfunctional presenteeism, defined as reduced productivity at work due to health problems. We find that both physical and mental health significantly predict the probability of dysfunctional presenteeism, and the effects of mental health problems seem to be worse than physical health. In comparison, changes to most other characteristics have little or no effect.