The situational contingency of virtual and on-site workplace attendance decisions in Germany
A vignette-based approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24218594 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joachim Gerich (0000-0002-9017-0294), Natalie Herdegen, Andreas Koch (0000-0002-3420-4875), Martin Kroczek (0000-0002-8691-3526), Philipp Kugler (0000-0001-9899-7205), Sophie‐Charlotte Meyer (0000-0002-2294-7866), Mella Perleberg, Jochen Späth (0000-0001-5355-6094) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Pages | 101979 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SSM - Population Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2352-8273 • E-ISSN: 2352-8273 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ssmph.2026.101979 |
| OpenAlex | W7214702420 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
Sickness presenteeism (SP), i.e., working while ill, and sickness absence (SA) reflect alternative responses to ill-health. Although both stem from the same attendance decision process, little is known about how illness severity interacts with workplace conditions, how remote work opportunities influence attendance decisions and what role personal motives play. We draw on data from a factorial survey experiment following the 2024 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey in Germany (N = 3,532). Respondents evaluated ten hypothetical scenarios describing acute illness episodes that varied in symptom severity, infectiousness, workload, team conditions, attendance pressure, and weather. Multilevel logistic models estimate effects on the likelihood of working on-site, working remotely (if available), or calling in sick. Illness severity appears to be the main determinant of attendance behavior: increasing body temperature from normal to 38.3°C reduces the probability of working on-site by 54 percentage points among respondents without a remote work option. The option of working remotely is associated with more SP (64% vs. 55%) and a shift from on-site to virtual SP. Effects of contextual factors, such as attendance pressure, colleagues’ workload and infectiousness are smaller and vary with illness severity and work arrangement: they are most pronounced at moderate illness severity, while remote work can shift their influence from whether to how individuals work. Under severe illness, decisions to work are linked mainly to career- and reputation-related motives. Attendance decisions thus seem to follow a hierarchical logic with illness severity as the primary determinant and other factors depending on illness severity and work arrangements.
career motives · disease severity · infectiousness · on-site work · principle of virtual work · remote work · Sick leave · sickness presenteeism · work arrangements · Workload · Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Workplace Health and Well-being
Sickness Presenteeism
Health, Absence, Disability, and Presenteeism Cost Estimates of Certain Physical and Mental Health Conditions Affecting U.S. Employers
Major influences on employee attendance
Present but sick
Going to work ill
A Factorial Survey on Sickness Presenteeism
Sickness absence as risk-taking behaviour
Factorial Survey Experiments
Sickness Presenteeism as a Link between Long Working Hours and Employees’ Outcomes
Presenteeism in the workplace
The consequences of sickness presenteeism on health and wellbeing over time
More pain, more change? The mediating role of presenteeism and the moderating role of ostracism
Stayed at home—But can't stop working despite being ill?! Guilt as a driver of presenteeism at work and home
Gender differences in the relationship between presenteeism and extra‐role behaviors
The positive potential of presenteeism
Working While Ill as a Risk Factor for Serious Coronary Events
The health-performance framework of presenteeism
Remote Workers' Reasons for Changed Levels of Absenteeism, Presenteeism and Working Outside Agreed Hours During the Covid-19 Pandemic
I Don't like Mondays
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |