Episode 5
Episode 5
Understanding Presenteeism:
The Hidden Cost of Being at Work
In this episode of the Working Well podcast, Angélica Barrero‑Guinand, Clinical Solutions Strategist at ifeel, joins hosts Ben Moss and Matt Smeed to unpack one of the workplace’s most overlooked productivity challenges: presenteeism.
Together, they explore how working while unwell silently drains performance, why it often costs organisations more than absenteeism, and what leaders can do to foster environments that balance well-being and sustainable achievement.
What will you find in this episode?
Defining presenteeism
The real cost to organisations
Redefining productivity
The role of psychological safety
Culture, communication, and contagion
Why you should listen
This conversation is a sharp blend of clinical insight, organisational research, and human experience. Listeners will hear expert perspectives from psychology and leadership that shed light on the “silent profit drain” of presenteeism, and how cultural, structural, and emotional factors sustain it.
The discussion offers real-world examples of what happens when employees show up despite illness, how guilt and shame often fuel this behaviour, and why redefining productivity is essential for any organisation striving to improve mental health and long-term performance.
Listen to the episode and discover how encouraging rest, reflection, and psychological safety can become the most effective business strategy your organisation implements this year.
About ifeel
ifeel is a dynamic, enterprise-ready solution that supports employee mental health, one of the greatest business challenges of our time. Working as a collaborative, strategic partner, we help global enterprise organisations proactively address mental health at scale, driving down absenteeism and embedding change that lasts.
