Presenteeism

Is Everyone Present and Correct?

Financial difficulties, work related stress, perceived pressure from colleagues, or the fear of an inbox overflowing with emails may all contribute to an unwell employee continuing to attend work.  Employers can often overlook this issue, known as ‘sickness presence’, whilst focusing their attention on managing absenteeism in the organisation. So, what can employers do to manage this issue in the workplace?

What is ‘Sickness Presence’?

Presenteeism is a term used to describe a situation where an employee comes to work and seemingly unintentionally, or through disengagement, does not perform to their best.  Sickness Presence, where presenteeism is associated with an employee attending work when unwell, is increasingly common with four in ten reporting to have attended work when ill (AXA PPP Report).

Sickness presence can adversely impact the performance of an organisation through decreased productivity, lower team morale, higher sickness absence levels across the organisation, and an increase in work-related stress and poor psychological wellbeing. 

The costs of sickness presence should not be taken lightly – a report by The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, carried out in 2007, stated that the estimated cost of sickness absence, employee turnover and reduced productivity in relation to stress and mental health to UK businesses was £26 billion.  Interestingly, 60% of the overall cost came from sickness presence, where employees felt too stigmatised to take the time to recover from an illness or were fearful to disclose an illness.

Sickness presence can be a good indicator of employee health and well being within an organisation and the underlying causes should be managed as a priority.  

Managing Sickness Presence

A recent report ‘Why do employees come to work when ill?’ was completed by The Work Foundation and commissioned by AXA Healthcare in April 2010.  The research involved an online survey of 510 AXA PPP employees which was then linked with the individual’s absence data and performance records, in agreement with the employee.

The report suggested a number of key initiatives to manage sickness presence:

• Employers should ensure that absence management policies are understood and applied consistently by managers at all levels in the organisation. In addition, Employers should communicate and promote the benefits of the absence management system to their employees.
• Employers should prioritise enhancing their manager’s capability to deal with workplace stress and the psychological well being of their team. 
• Employers should use the new Doctor’s Fit Note as a positive opportunity to review how an employee’s working environment can be adjusted to accommodate any health problems.
• Employers could consider whether it would be beneficial to offer workplace-based financial support for employees.
• Employers need to ensure that they assess the levels of their employee’s health and well being through ongoing monitoring and evaluation.  Also, Employers should evaluate the effectiveness of any interventions introduced.
  

References

• www.personneltoday.co.uk
• www.guardian.co.uk
• www.changeboard.co.uk
• Why do employees come into work when ill: An investigation into sickness presence in the workplace by Katherine Ashby and Michelle Mahon - April 2010.