Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms, Presenteeism, and the Role of Health-oriented Leadership

Abstract Many people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) continue working even when experiencing symptoms, a behavior known as presenteeism. Existing evidence highlights the detrimental effects of presenteeism in cases of acute medical conditions, but less is known about chronic conditions and how they relate to presenteeism over time. Furthermore, as leadership behavior is critical for follower presenteeism, leaders’ health-oriented behaviors towards followers (StaffCare) may have a negative relationship with followers’ decisions to work while managing MS symptoms. This study examines the reciprocal effects of MS symptoms and presenteeism by analyzing existing data from a 3-wave, monthly online study conducted in 2020. Presenteeism remained stable at the monthly level, but we did not find reciprocal relationships between presenteeism and symptoms. StaffCare behavior did not buffer the hypothesized effects of quantitative demands and symptoms on presenteeism but was negatively related to presenteeism. In addition, we extracted three factors from MS symptoms, and further exploratory analyses showed a quadratic relationship between presenteeism and symptoms. The exploratory findings regarding the leadership–presenteeism association extend the workplace attendance and health-oriented leadership literatures to chronic conditions such as MS. Our study, therefore, provides valuable insights for leaders and organizations on creating supportive workplace environments that acknowledge the unique challenges of chronic conditions.