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Too Scared to Go Sick: Precarious Academic Work and ‘Presenteeism Culture’ in the UK Higher Education Sector During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Anastasios Hadjisolomou

    (University of Strathclyde, UK)

  • Fotios Mitsakis

    (Nottingham Trent University, UK)

  • Steven Gary

Abstract

This article discusses the story of Steven, a precarious academic worker, and his decision to work from home while being infected with Covid-19; a phenomenon called virtual presenteeism. As argued, Steven’s sickness presence is the outcome of the increasing precarity and job insecurity in the sector, as well as the outcome of a presenteeism culture in academia which is being facilitated by technology and the blended learning approach adopted during the pandemic. The article outlines precarious academic workers’ fear to go off sick, illustrating how Steven negotiates the precarity of his contract via virtual presenteeism to portray over-commitment to the institution and avoid the risk of job loss. As concluded, while blended learning becomes the new educational norm in higher education, virtual presenteeism risks becoming the new attendance norm. This article calls for more research to examine how the blended teaching approach will further impact on academic work, post-pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Anastasios Hadjisolomou & Fotios Mitsakis & Steven Gary, 2022. "Too Scared to Go Sick: Precarious Academic Work and ‘Presenteeism Culture’ in the UK Higher Education Sector During the Covid-19 Pandemic," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(3), pages 569-579, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:36:y:2022:i:3:p:569-579
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170211050501
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Esteve Corbera & Isabelle Anguelovski & Jordi Honey-Rosés & Isabel Ruiz-Mallén, 2020. "Academia in the Time of COVID-19: Towards an Ethics of Care," Planning Theory & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 191-199, June.
    2. Mariya Ivancheva & Kathleen Lynch & Kathryn Keating, 2019. "Precarity, gender and care in the neoliberal academy," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 448-462, May.
    3. Meredith Nash & Brendan Churchill, 2020. "Caring during COVID‐19: A gendered analysis of Australian university responses to managing remote working and caring responsibilities," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 833-846, September.
    4. Anastasios Hadjisolomou, 2016. "Too scared to go sick? The management and the manifestations of workplace attendance in the food retail sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5-6), pages 417-433, November.
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