How can businesses combat the rise in employee absenteeism?

Reports of increased physical and mental health problems started before Coronavirus hit, and affects all age groups and all industries. Let me start by defining the problem.

The numbers logged are unsustainable. In the UK, there are currently 33 million persons of ‘working age’ (16 and over), but an extraordinary 7.26 million (that's a whopping 21.9% of our working population) are labelled as ‘economically inactive,’ meaning they depend on the 38% of us who are ‘economically active’, via government assistance.

Two million people living in private homes, as opposed to hospitals and care facilities, were estimated to have self-reported long-term coronavirus disease (aka ‘Long Covid’) in January 2023. Long Covid is defined as ‘symptoms that persist for more than four weeks following an initial coronavirus infection that cannot be attributed to any other illness’.

There is an increase in the reporting of mental health issues such anxiety, stress, and depression, especially amongst young people. It is highly likely that the actual figure of working-age individuals suffering from a chronic illness has already exceeded three million – that’s 4% of the current UK population of 68 million.

Here are three tough questions to ponder

1. Firstly, has this malaise worsened with the increased flexibility of working from home? Could it be that increased social isolation make us more prone to illness? For at least some home workers, being stuck at home can be horribly sedentary and it can be downhill all the way. There's also an issue of un-ergonomic work stations at home, which I partly blame for the significant increase in back and neck problems.

2. Secondly, does social isolation increase negative personality traits such as neuroticism? (neuroticsm includes anxiety, unstable mood swings and irritability that, according to studies by Queen Mary University of London, are associated with heart ageing and premature death)

3. Thirdly, how much of an issue is ‘employee apathy’ in failing to turn up for work?

How can employers combat the current absenteeism epidemic?

By encouraging a supportive work environment that attends to employees' physical and mental health needs, employers can begin to combat the rise in absenteeism. Should we consider some of the following strategies, or some magic combination?

• Should we insist on all employees attending the office for a minimum of two-days-a-week to help stem 'social isolation' that may be one of the many root causes of long-term sickness?
• Should we continue to provide even more flexible working options to suit various needs and preferences, such as the ability to work from home or choose one’s own hours – or might this pour petrol on the fire?
• Should we help stimulate our employees' mental wellness by providing free or part-sponsored access to resources like therapy, confidential support lines, or mental health days?
• Should we promote an environment of transparency where workers feel at greater ease talking about their health issues without worrying about shame or negative consequences?
• Should we combine mental health activities with wellness programmes that support physical health, such at a workplace gym/exercise classes or confidential health checks so that problems are caught early before they become crises?
• Should we all get batter at tracking workload to help avoid burnout by our hardest working team players? As a mentor I know that many employees are not the greatest at sharing workload meaning that resources are often unfairly distributed.
• Should we be investing more time educating our managers on how to spot symptoms of stress or illness in their staff plus how to react appropriately by providing assistance and making necessary modifications?
• Should we be consulting a specialised legal firm for advice?

I recognise that all of the above is bound to add costs to the bottom line of running a business, at a time when resources are already tight. Though what is the true cost of doing nothing as this quiet seemingly unstoppable pandemic of absenteeism worsens?

Through implementation of these measures, companies may start to alleviate absenteeism and promote the well-being and productivity of their staff.

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