Dataset_242016591.sav

Managing sickness is a common organisational practice. However, efforts to reduce absenteeism can inadvertently increase presenteeism, where employees attend work while ill. Despite extensive research, a gap remains in understanding the motivational and relational dynamics within the workplace that drive this behaviour. This study draws on signalling theory to examine the connections between absence management, employee motivation, and decision-making when unwell, with a focus on the role of employee-supervisor relationships. We propose that strict absence policies, coupled with high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX), can intensify attendance pressures and increase employees' involuntary inclination towards presenteeism, ultimately perpetuating its occurrence. Our analysis tested a moderated-mediation model using lagged survey data from 495 participants. The results generally support our hypotheses, providing new insights into the complexities of presenteeism and revealing a potential adverse effect of LMX in this context.