Predicament when you’re not feeling 100%? (PLEASE DON’T!)
Presenteeism – the problem of workers being on the job but, because of illness or other medical conditions, not fully functioning – can cut individual productivity by one-third or more, making it a much costlier problem than its productivity-reducing counterpart, absen- teeism.
Presenteeism isn’t always apparent. While it is easy to see when someone is absent from work, it’s difficult to tell when (or how much) an illness or medical condition hinders someone’s performance. As a result, presenteeism often goes unrecognized by employers, meaning it could adversely affect their bottom line.
WHY DON’T WORKERS STAY AT HOME?
Findings show that while the U.S. workforce is keenly aware of the dangers and preventative tactics sur- rounding seasonal illnesses, personal accountability remains low, with nearly 80% still going to work sick. Why is this?
• No paid sick days – According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, 39% of all American workers (41 million people) do not have paid sick leave and 50% are not covered by the Family Medical Leave Act. As a result, nearly half of the people surveyed in the annual Cold & Flu Season survey by Staples stated they would give up a vacation day to a sick worker to ensure they didn’t bring the illness to the work- place.
• Combined paid time off – While lumping sick and vacation time together can be a wonderful benefit for employees, some may abuse the policy by choosing to work when they’re sick to accumulate the most paid time-off. Then, they use the time normally allotted for sick leave for vacation.
• Company cultures and policies – If a company’s culture is inflexible when it comes to supporting time away from work, the business is inviting presenteeism. All employees will eventually need time away from work to deal with illness, whether it’s their own, a child’s, or another family member’s. So, it is important to be understanding and not discipline employees when they take a sick day. Instead, en- courage them to get well soon.
• Heavy workloads – A lack of cross training often keeps people at work since no one else has the ability to do their job while they are away. Nearly half of the workers surveyed (41%) felt there was too much going on at work to take a sick day, even if their employer provided designated sick days.
• Job protection – People stay late even when workloads are light or come to work sick to show dedication to the business. More than half of the employees surveyed (52%) said going to work sick makes them both “hardworking and committed.”
• Denial – Workers convince themselves that even though they aren’t completely healthy, they can still do their jobs. Unfortunately a cold, unlike the flu, creeps up slowly and can impact productivity and spread itself through an office before the sick person fully realizes what’s going on.
All of these factors promote presenteeism and can, in turn, exacerbate medical conditions, damage the quality of work life and lead to impressions of ineffectiveness due to declines in productivity.
Jan/Feb | The Retailer Magazine | 17
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