Results of a pilot study of presenteeism using the Stanford Presenteeism Scale among the working population in the Russian Federation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The health status of the population and the economic development of the country are interrelated. The economic costs of compensatory payments associated with an increase in the incidence of diseases among company employees are constantly growing. The indirect costs of employers related to the health of employees are made up of absenteeism and presenteeism of employees. Determining the prevalence of frequency and level of presenteeism requires a special approach. AIM: To assess the level of presenteeism among employees in the Russian Federation using the Stanford Presenteeism Scale. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2020, experts from the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation developed a set of tools (a questionnaire for employers and a questionnaire for employees). The 5-block employee questionnaire includes a translated and adapted version of the Stanford Presenteeism Scale. This unit assesses the degree of decline in productivity due to health conditions and, accordingly, when planning health promotion programs, calculate the opportunities to reduce presenteeism and increase productivity. RESULTS: Pilot testing of the developed package of tools took place in the spring of 2020 in 28 regions of Russia. The study included workers from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (44.9%, n=248), the Republic of Karelia (18.8%, n=104), the Udmurt Republic (17.5%, n=97), the Sakhalin Region (13.7%, n=76) and Altai Territory (5.1%, n=28). As a result, 553 completed questionnaires were returned. Among the interviewed employees, 33.5% were men (n=187) with the mean age of 39.810.7 years. Women (n=366, 66.5%) had the average age of 42.611.1 years. Most employees had an average level of presenteeism (n=271, 57.3%), while low and high levels were observed in 41.2% (n=196) and 1.5% (n=6), respectively. The average level of presenteeism was observed in 96 men (59.9%) and 175 women (55.9%). Presenteeism was the most prevalent among employees aged 40 to 49 (33.2%, n=157), and the least prevalent among employees aged 60 years and older (5.7%, n=27). The lowest level of presenteeism was observed among technical specialists (6.1%, n=29), as well as among managers (10.1%, n=48). CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study revealed high prevalence of presenteeism among workers warranting further research in other regions. Studies aimed at reducing the level of presenteeism are also needed.