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Helping employers to combat presenteeism

Employees taking sick leave cost the UK economy billions of pounds every year – but sickness does not always result in absence from work, and this could be even more damaging.

The annual cost to the economy of staff being absent from work due to ill health is approximately £13 billion*. But presenteeism – when employees continue to work in spite of illness – can have a negative impact on productivity, mental health, standards of work and the health and well-being of other members of staff.

If an employee is unwell but still working, their performance and recovery time will be affected. The likelihood of the problem recurring and potentially causing prolonged absence from work may also be increased.

Current industry thinking indicates that productivity and employee commitment are suffering because employers have created a culture where illness is seen as a weakness, with staff feeling compelled to come into work even though they are ill.

With many employers taking a hard line on absence and some even offering prizes and incentives to staff with clean absence records, employees can feel that their career progression is under threat if they succumb to illness and stay at home to rest instead of going into work.

Similarly, if a company does not offer sick pay, most employees would choose to remain at work despite not feeling well enough. For others who rely on a daily income, taking a couple of days off work will not be an option.

Not only will this affect the current and long-term health of the employee, but the knock-on effect on a business, and on the well-being of other members of staff, could be very damaging.

Of course, if a member of staff goes to work with a contagious illness, there is a high probability that other workers will become ill. If they in turn struggle into work instead of staying at home to recover, presenteeism will continue to be a problem.

Employers can help to combat presenteeism by ensuring that staff feel comfortable with being off work through illness.

Businesses could also consider introducing a health cash plan, such as those offered by Westfield Health, which would enable employees to seek treatment quickly without having to worry about cost.

Westfield’s consultation and scanning benefits can help the ‘worried well’ or ‘working sick’ by speeding up their access to specialist consultations or diagnostic scanning. This reduces the need for employees to struggle through pain to perform their duties at work.

* Confederation of British Industry, 2006

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