"Overweight and obesity are the most frequent problems in the working population. Objective: Determine the influence of overweight and obesity with absenteeism due to common illnesses. Material and methods: Analytical cross-sectional study, secondary bases of results of occupational medical examinations and medical breaks were used. Simple and multiple regression analysis was performed using generalized linear models. Results: Of 649 participants, overweight represented 44.2% and obesity 19.1%. The variables that show a statistically significant influence (p <0.05) with work absenteeism are gender, job, having a pathological personal history, anemia, musculoskeletal alteration, alteration in the urine test, hearing loss and nutritional diagnosis.The male gender decreased the frequency of absenteeism by 51% and obesity increased the frequency of absenteeism in the short and long term by 35%. Conclusions: An increased frequency of short-term and long-term absenteeism was found in female workers and in those with obesity. © 2020, Accion Medica S.A.. All rights reserved."