Occupational differences in sickness presenteeism in the baseline survey of the German National Cohort (NAKO).

Thi-Ngoc-Tu Nguyen, Melanie Schubert, René Mauer, Marvin Reuter, Nico Dragano, Andreas Seidler

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Article in Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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6 authors.

Thi-Ngoc-Tu Nguyen *Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Public Health, Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

Melanie Schubert *Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Public Health, Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, 01307, Dresden, Germany. melanie.schubert@tu-dresden.de.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4989-5522

René MauerDepartment of Occupational and Social Medicine, Public Health, Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

Marvin ReuterJunior Professorship for Sociology, esp. Work and Health, Institute for Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics and Business Administration, 96045, Bamberg, Germany.

Nico DraganoInstitute of Medical Sociology, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty, University of Duesseldorf, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany.

Andreas SeidlerDepartment of Occupational and Social Medicine, Public Health, Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study examines the relationship between occupation and sickness presenteeism (SP) among German employees. In addition, it investigates occupation-specific differences in SP according to supervisory or managerial responsibilities.

methodsA total of 86,855 employees (average age: 45.7 ± 10.5, 48.3% men, and 51.7% women) from the German National Cohort (NAKO) who had reported illness at least once in the past 12 months were included in this cross-sectional study (response: 15.6%). Data were collected between 2014 and 2019. Occupations were grouped into 14 segments based on the German Classification of Occupations 2010. SP was defined as attending work despite illness at least once within the past 12 months. Robust Poisson regression analyses were conducted to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for SP, comparing each occupational segment with all other occupations combined as the reference group. Additional analyses compared SP between employees with and without supervisory or managerial responsibilities overall and within each occupational segment, and by sex.

resultsAmong employees who had been ill at least once in the past 12 months, 76.4% reported SP. The highest prevalence of SP was observed in healthcare, social and cultural service occupations, trade, and food industry and hospitality. Overall, employees with supervisory or managerial responsibilities had a higher SP prevalence than those without such responsibilities (PR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.07-1.10). This association was stronger among men (PR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.09-1.12) than among women (PR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.02-1.06). In general, the elevated prevalence of SP among supervisors and managers was not confined to specific occupational segments. Rather, certain occupational segments exhibited consistently higher SP prevalence regardless of hierarchical position.

conclusionsAmong German employees, SP prevalence varies notably across occupations, with above-average levels in healthcare, social and cultural service, trade, and food industry and hospitality. Supervisory and managerial responsibilities were associated with a modestly higher prevalence of SP, with a stronger association among men than women. However, occupation-specific patterns were broadly similar across hierarchical groups, indicating that SP is likely influenced by a combination of occupational context and hierarchical position.

Indexed as

EmployeesGermanyNAKOOccupationsSickness presenteeism

Identifiers

PMID42791553

DOI10.1186/s12995-026-00529-1

PMCPMC13615606

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