LAUSR

The German HPQ can be used among Swiss employees to measure performance or presenteeism as productivity loss due to health-related problems. For its application in other German-speaking countries, cross-cultural validation is needed. Background Research interest in presenteeism as a productivity loss has grown given its estimated costs for organizations. To enable researchers in German-speaking countries to compare their findings internationally, a validated German Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) version is needed. Methods First, the HPQ was translated from English into German, culturally adapted, and tested using cognitive debriefing in interviews. Second, the structural validity of the item measuring presenteeism as productivity loss was tested. Results Overall, 14 problems with items were identified in the cognitive debriefing. Of these, 57% were comprehension problems. Two of three alternative hypotheses for discriminative validity were accepted. No discrimination was possible for individuals with or without chronic disease. Conclusions The German HPQ has satisfactory cross-cultural validity and can be used to measure overall performance, as well as presenteeism in a specified sample with health problems.