PRESENTEEISM IN WORK PLACES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON EMPLOYEES’ HEALTH: EXPERIENCES OF BANKERS IN THE NIGERIAN BANKING SECTOR

Abstract

Presenteeism occurs when employees in an organization come to work even though they are ill. Usually such illness justifies an absence from work and as such, employees tend to carry out their roles under sub-optimal conditions.  This study examines the factors blameable for presenteeism among bankers in the Nigerian banking sector. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State in North central Nigeria. A total of 248 participants selected through multi-stage sampling method from eight commercial banks, was included in the study while primary data was collated through self-administered questionnaire administration.  Of those that participated in the study, (39.1%) fall within the age category of 18-30 years of age while (44.2%) fall in grade level of associate and support staff. Further result also acknowledged that (43.5%) of the participants were present at work when they were ill out of which, (34.8%) was due to enormous work load (28.0%) was due to participants’ passion for work (19.6%) was as a result of work pressure while, (17.3%) was due to the mild nature of participants’ illness. The study strongly recommends that government and other policy makers in Nigeria should legislate laws protecting bankers from coming to work when they are ill having been examined so by qualified physician.

Keywords: Presenteeism, Employees, Work Load, Work Pressure, Bankers, Job Demands, Sector, DepositTarget