Presenteeism: the majority of Swiss employees stage their productivity

Whether employees work more productively in the office or from home has been the subject of debate for years. Many Swiss employees seem to have received one message in particular: Presence counts more than performance. This is shown by a new survey of 458 hybrid office workers in Switzerland, conducted by the world's largest job site Indeed and the market research institute Appinio.

Presenteeism instead of performance

Specifically, over half of Swiss employees (57.5%) have taken measures in the past twelve months to appear more productive or engaged than they actually were. These include keeping their online status artificially set to «present» while working from home (23.9%), sending emails at off-peak times such as early in the morning or late in the evening (22.3%) and staying in the office longer just because their manager is still there (21.3%). Even physical signals are used: 10.6 percent have left their jacket or bag in the office to suggest their presence. In contrast, 42.5 percent of those surveyed stated that they only let their work results speak for themselves.

Internal structures as the main trigger

The reasons for this so-called presenteeism lie primarily in internal company structures: 32.8 percent cite a corporate culture characterized by presence control as the main reason, 26.8 percent pressure from superiors or micromanagement. A further 26% see concerns about their job as the trigger. In general, a small majority (50.9%) believe that their employer values visible presence more highly than actual, measurable work results.

The desire for a turnaround is correspondingly high: 64.2% of respondents said they would be prepared to give up part of their salary if their performance was measured solely on results. As many as 68.1 percent would give up part of their income for a permanent right to work from home.

The office as a place of distraction

Overall, the survey results suggest that the office has partially lost its original function as a productive place of work for many employees. 48.8 percent of Swiss respondents can concentrate better on complex tasks when working from home than in the office (21 percent). Two out of three respondents (65.9%) also stated that they are regularly distracted in the office by noise, small talk or spontaneous visits - 19.3% of them very frequently.

This has consequences: 46.2 percent of employees are significantly more exhausted after a day at the office, including commuting and social interaction, than after a day working from home. Nevertheless, more than one in two (54.7 percent) regularly travel to the office to «show their face», even though work could be done more efficiently at home.

Willingness to perform is there - the incentives are missing

Virginia Sondergeld, Economist at Indeed, comments on the results: «The discussion about the lack of performance in the home office has left its mark. At work, it's never purely about the quality of your own performance, but also about how visible it is to superiors and colleagues. It is right and human for employees to invest in visibility in order to advance their careers. However, if they start staging their presence instead of focusing on results, it's a losing proposition for both sides.»

She adds: «The fact that almost two thirds of Swiss employees would give up their salary in order to be measured more on their performance sends a signal to employers. The willingness to perform is there, but it is not sufficiently incentivized. Those who primarily demand attendance risk only optimizing it. It is therefore necessary to establish a system that rewards good performance rather than high visibility - regardless of where you work.»

More information: www.indeed.com