From an employee perspective, presenteeism is important in that it might exacerbate existing
medical conditions, damage the quality of working life, and lead to impressions of ineffectiveness at
work due to reduced productivity. In addition, many organizational practices and policies that are
designed to curtail absenteeism could in fact stimulate attendance while sick. On the other hand, under
some circumstances, presenteeism might be viewed as an act of organizational citizenship and garner
praise. Hence, focusing narrowly on productivity loss, as opposed to productivity gain compared to
absenteeism, is unduly restrictive.