Affiliations: [a] HEC Montreal, Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, Canada
| [b] Faculty of Business Administration, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Mouna Knani, HEC Montreal, 3000, Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine Montréal (Québec) Canada H3T 2A7. Tel.: +1 514 834 2264; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Presenteeism is generally viewed as a symptom of organizational or individual dysfunction and is rarely considered as a behavioral response to positive triggering factors. Our study examines this issue in small enterprises (SEs), which are an unexplored environment in terms of presenteeism. OBJECTIVE:Through in-depth analysis, this study aims to understand the positive and negative factors that impact presenteeism in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a particular focus on SEs. METHODS:We adopt a qualitative methodological approach in which we conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with employees and owner-managers of SEs with between 20 and 49 employees. RESULTS:Our thematic analysis shows that presenteeism can be explained by factors related to pressure to attend work, by individuals’ constraints and commitment, by organizational and individual characteristics and by a congenial work environment. Presenteeism can also be a type of “therapy” which helps individuals to avoid focusing on being sick and enables them to stay active and avoid social isolation. CONCLUSIONS:Our study differs from earlier research by providing a more in-depth analysis of the positive and negative factors that trigger presenteeism. This article will help to expand the current theoretical knowledge about presenteeism and encourage a more holistic interpretation of the phenomenon.
