3 ways of reducing presenteeism (and why it’s important!)

Absenteeism & Presenteeism: what’s the difference?

Last week, the ONS announced a reduction in the figure for absenteeism across the UK labour market. The news that in 2017/18, the average UK worker took 4.3 days of sick leave a year evidences a continuing trend of reduction in the level of absenteeism since 2003.

Absenteeism (the decision to take a day off work when ill) is damaging because it is by nature lost productivity. However, illness is a part of life and it stands to reason that illness can often preclude attendance at work. In my opinion, what is equally, if not more damaging to employee morale, office culture and indeed productivity is the phenomenon of presenteeism.

Presenteeism is the practice of employees making themselves physically present at work, despite illness. For some employees, this is a way of demonstrating their dedication to their work, hoping that their employer will recognise their mettle and hard-working nature. For others, the general pressure of their job might simply be too much to allow themselves to take a day off to rest and recover.

Motivation aside, presenteeism is costing the economy. A recent article by HR Review featured research from The Centre for Mental Health which suggested that the cost of presenteeism from mental ill health alone is ￡15.1 billion. This figure does not take into consideration more visible illnesses like coughs and colds, which the ONS says costs the UK economy 34 million in lost days.

My advice

It is important for workplace productivity that employees are happy and healthy. The above statistics have set out why you should actively combat presenteeism in your organisation. Below I’ve set out my top three pieces of advice for establishing a workplace culture that accepts the realities of illness and encourages employees to take ownership of their own health:

1.      Communicate to your team that it’s okay to be ill. No one has an infallible immune system and it is important that your employees know that it’s okay for them to take care of themselves. One way of achieving this is to be open when you yourself feel under the weather. Leading by example is very important in changing the sort of behaviour that supports presenteeism.

2.      Empower your employees to take control of their own health. Once again it is important for senior leaders and line managers to take the initiative here. If an employee can see their manager accepting their illness and making an informed decision about whether they are fit for work, they will then know that this thought process is encouraged and that it’s okay to recover at home.

3.      Collaborate with employees to understand how you could better support their physical and mental health. If the two steps outlined above are followed, then this third step will come about organically. If employees are empowered to care for their own wellbeing, it will be easier for them to be open about how the organisation can help. This could be something as small as suggesting a flexible working strategy for long term illness, to encouraging remote working for commuters who have a common cold and would rather not face the train but are well enough to work from home. Whatever the situation, it’s all about being open to new solutions.

For further advice and support on employee health and wellbeing, check out the pages of the IIP website which outline the framework of our Health and Wellbeing Award: https://www.investorsinpeople.com/solutions-health-wellbeing/