What is Presenteeism: The Hidden Productivity Killer HR Teams Can’t Ignore

Entering the winter period brings about an increase in sickness with many employees catching colds, coughs, sickness bugs or the flu. It is alarming that whilst many are hit hard by winter sickness, far little take time off work to rest and recover. Instead, many feel they need to continue to work despite being unwell, which can do more harm than good. This is known as presenteeism. Presenteeism has its implications for both employees and the business. Notably, according to Deloitte, working while sick costs UK employers around £24 billion annually.  It is common for presenteeism to be more damaging than absenteeism, as it is more difficult to measure and often hidden.  

Costs of presenteeism

The crippling cost of presenteeism comes from:

• Low productivity
• Prolonged illness
• Employees performing at reduced capacity
• Reduced morale
• Increased mistakes

Working whilst sick typically means employees will not be working at full capacity, and they are likely to prolong their sickness.

Reasons for presenteeism

It seems simple, but there are still far too many employees working when sick. This is for various reasons, such as:

• Workload pressure and understaffing
• Fear of job security or judgment
• Workplace culture expectations
• Lack of sickness and absence policies
• Inadequate remote/hybrid health boundaries

Steps to prevent presenteeism in your business

Sickness and Absence Policies

• Have clear and supportive sickness and absence policies.
• Ensure these are easy to access. On oneHR, you can store and share documentation with your staff easily, making it accessible 24/7.

Lead by example

• Set a precedent as senior leaders and managers by taking time off work when you are sick. This will encourage your team to do the same when they are unwell.
• It helps to build a healthy workplace culture that supports and values your staff’s wellbeing and encourages employees to prioritise their health.

Create clear guidelines on remote working whilst ill

• Working from home when feeling unwell doesn’t allow employees to get the full rest they need and can ultimately delay their recovery. Encourage them to fully take the time off to get better.
• If possible, you could allow employees who feel well enough to work, but have a contagious illness, i.e., a cold, to work from home to prevent the spread of it to the rest of your workforce.

Train managers

• Presenteeism is not only physical, but mental too. Unaddressed stress, anxiety and burnout can have impacts on individuals and within your organisation.
• Train managers to help identify signs of stress, anxiety and burnout amongst staff and understand how to address this to prevent escalation.

How can oneHR help?

Clear, consistent sickness absence reporting

• Provides an easy way for employees and managers to log sickness absence via mobile or desktop.
• Managers receive instant email notifications to keep on top of sickness absence.

Provides early indicators for HR

• Spot patterns of repeated short-term absence
• Understand staff capacity levels in each department

Automated workflows

• Choose from pre-built or custom-built workflows to manage presenteeism within oneHR by identifying any triggers or underlying problems.
• This could include return to work interviews, wellbeing check-ins, stress-risk assessments, etc.

Whilst presenteeism is costly and often hidden, it is easily solvable within organisations. Awareness and using effective tools to manage it is key. It is essential to have sickness and absence policies in place, along with building a healthy workplace culture that encourages employees to take time off to rest when needed. HR software, like oneHR, provides the structure, visibility, and consistency needed to support this.

Book a demo to see how oneHR can support healthier, more productive teams by reducing presenteeism.

Call: 0330 107 1037

Email: contact@onehrsoftware.com

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