Rising Workplace Threat of Presenteeism in the Hospitality Industry: Antecedents and Consequences

The quality of the relationship between customers and employees and customer satisfaction are key to sustainable performance and success in the hospitality industry. However, challenges such as heavy workloads, job insecurity, and long working hours can lead to presenteeism, in which employees come to work even when physically or mentally ill. This phenomenon jeopardises organisational performance, customer satisfaction, and individual health. Despite its numerous negative consequences, there is limited research on the concept, and the rate of presenteeism is increasing, particularly among hotel employees. This study aims to empirically examine presenteeism, its antecedents (workplace bullying and employee cynicism), and its consequences (task performance and work engagement) among 4- and 5-star hotel employees. The results revealed that workplace bullying and employee cynicism significantly increased presenteeism. Besides, presenteeism reduces work engagement and task performance. This research addresses a gap in the literature by examining how workplace dynamics affect presenteeism and its potential consequences for hotel sector employees. Additionally, it offers practical contributions by emphasising the need to increase awareness of presenteeism and providing suggestions for doing so.