Presenteeism Amongst Employees with Musculoskeletal Health Problems

Introduction: The purpose of this project was to explore the levels of presenteeism amongst employees with musculoskeletal health problems attending an occupational health service at a North London National Health Service Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. Methods: An OPAS-G2 database was utilized to identify and select employees with musculoskeletal health problems that attended the occupational health service within the data collection period. Employees were mailed the SPS-6 questionnaire and asked to complete and return it in a pre-paid envelope. Results: A total of 49 (64.5%) employees met the cut-off point of 19 or above on the SPS-6 questionnaire indicating a high level of presenteeism. A total of 27 (35.5%) employees met the cut-off point of 18 or below on the SPS-6 questionnaire indicating a low level of presenteeism. Conclusion: The level of presenteeism amongst employees with musculoskeletal health problems was high. The data gathered in this project can be used to inform the development and/or improvement of organizational policies, processes and practices around presenteeism.