Going through the motions:
Employees
who are genuinely sick, but continue to show
up for work are costing their employers
almost four times more than those who stay
home to recuperate.
A new report, commissioned by health insurer Medibank Private,
showed that “presenteeism” - where
employees turn up to work but cannot
function properly because they are ill –
last year cost Australia’s economy an
estimated $25.7 billion with employers
bearing the brunt of lost productivity to
the tune of $17.6 billion a year. That drop
in productivity is equal to each employee
missing six days of work per year.
Previous research by Medibank Private suggested absenteeism,
where sick workers stay at home, cost
Australian businesses about $7 billion each
year.
The research found that while 53 per cent of staff had taken at
least one day off in the previous four
weeks, 77 per cent said they had gone into
work while suffering a health problem. Of
those who had gone in to work, 88 per cent
said they felt less productive and, on
average, their productivity nearly halved.
The report found sick employees worked slower, needed to repeat
tasks and made more mistakes than healthy
colleagues and that unhealthy lifestyles,
allergies and asthma, poor work-life balance
and sick employees spreading infections all
contributed to the problem.
Presenteeism relates to the productivity of a worker and is a
vicious cycle – if we are less productive at
work, we stay up late that night to
catch-up, which affects our sleep which then
affects our productivity the next day.
The term “presenteeism” also describes those
employees who attend work when they are
actually unmotivated to perform and
can be associated with poor working
conditions or poor management practices.
This latest research shows
the direct impact on staff retention and
overall business performance. Employers need
to look at a range of factors that influence
their employee’s health and well-being and
tackle those underlying workplace issues.
It can be a risk to the business if employers avoid dealing with
the core causes of presenteeism and
absenteeism which usually involve better
employee-employer relationships and ways to
handle work-load and external
responsibilities.
According to a previous survey almost half of Australian workers
admitted to taking bogus sickies and many
confessed they took time off to cope with
demands on their life outside work.
Employees with greater sick leave
entitlements took more leave. Most small
business owners tend to avoid difficult
conversations as they feel they don’t have
the skills to manage absenteeism or haven’t
collated the data to manage the problem.
The Medibank Private study urged employers to invest in health
and wellbeing programs for employees and
suggested offering flu vaccinations,
self-assessment tools, counselling for
workers, encouraging recreational activities
for employees in breaks and providing fruit
as examples of measures employers could take
that were a win-win for business and
employees.
This publication is provided by way of
general guidance only and is not to be
construed by the reader as legal advice or
as a recommendation to take a particular
course of action in the conduct of their
business or personal affairs. You should not
rely upon the material as a basis for action
that may expose you to a legal liability,
injury, loss or damage and it is recommended
that you obtain your own legal advice
relevant to your particular circumstances.
Savvy Human Resources Associates Pty Ltd and
their agents Disclaims All Liability For Any
Loss Or Injury Suffered, Howsoever Caused,
As A Result of Relying Upon The Content Of
This Publication In The Making Of Any
Commercial Or Personal Legal Decisions.
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