Translation and Psychometric Testing of the Hägerbäumer Presenteeism Scale in English.
Christoph Golz, G Kilcher, M Gerlach and 3 others
PMID 38466556WHAT IT FOUND
The English translation of the Hägerbäumer Presenteeism Scale is valid and reliable for measuring the behaviour of working while ill.
It does not mix this behaviour with health status or productivity loss, offering a clear tool for assessing presenteeism in English-speaking employees.
Key findings
01The English version of the scale demonstrates construct validity, cross-cultural validity, and satisfactory internal consistency reliability.
02The scale avoids confounding presenteeism behaviour with its antecedents (such as state of health) and consequences (such as loss of productivity).
03Health professionals reported significantly higher presenteeism scores than employees in the assurance sector.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was recruited via convenience and snowball sampling, which may introduce bias. 67% of participants were from the United States, where sick leave policies differ from many other countries, potentially affecting generalizability. The scale items imply in-person work, which may not adequately capture presenteeism in remote work contexts. Further psychometric testing, including test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change, is needed before widespread use.
Declared interests
The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding. No specific commercial conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this scale to measure productivity loss or performance decline. It specifically measures the behaviour of going to work despite illness. Using it to assess productivity would be a misapplication of the tool.