Presenteeism

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Two people at a table covered with books and notepads. One is resting their head on their hands and the other is reading a book.

The term ‘presenteeism’ in an educational setting refers to the idea due to poor mental or physical health, a learner can be present in a learning environment but not be fully engaged, or performing productively (Centre for Mental Health, 2011). Van der Feltz-Cornelis et al. (2020) found that in a large UK university during the COVID-19 pandemic, 26 per cent of staff and 40 per cent of learners experienced presenteeism. The researchers also found that there were links between presenteeism and levels of stress, anxiety and depression, while diverse cultural backgrounds also influenced presenteeism levels (van der Feltz-Cornelis et al., 2020).

Factors such as additional caring responsibilities, social isolation, gender and urban living were all associated with increased psychological distress. Therefore, you may find it useful to check in with any learners who are not as engaged, or performing as usual to explore if they may be experiencing challenges that are interfering with their learning.