:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Absenteeism is visible and measured; presenteeism is invisible and, by cost estimates, larger. One appears in a spreadsheet; the other appears as work that quietly takes longer and needs redoing.
Side by side
| Aspect | Presenteeism | Absenteeism |
|---|---|---|
| Visible | No | Yes |
| Measured | Rarely | Routinely |
| Estimated cost | Larger | Smaller |
| Punished | No | Often |
What each one means
Being at work while too unwell to work properly, and getting less done than the hours suggest. An older sense, still in dictionaries, is simply staying at work beyond the hours the job needs. The productivity loss nobody logs.
Full definition of Presenteeism →The contrast above sets out how Absenteeism differs from Presenteeism on the points that actually matter.