Millions of employees around the world have experienced the pressure to stay late at the office, get there early, or work through lunch instead of going out or to the lunchroom with coworkers. It’s a phenomenon known as “presenteeism,” and it refers to the idea that there’s value to an employer simply from being present in the office. That value doesn’t necessarily even need to include any level of productivity.
In fact, plenty of pre-pandemic workers felt the urge to be present in the office before the boss got there or to stay until after the boss left, even if all they were doing was playing solitaire or looking at social media.
