It’s a well-known fact that absenteeism affects businesses bottom lines. As an employer you can expect that employees will miss some workdays throughout the year for very genuine reasons, absenteeism is a chronic problem where an employee continually misses work for inappropriate reasons. Absenteeism can also affect teams in business, can you spot the difference between normal levels of absence from chronic levels which could indicate a bigger problem?
Common reasons for absenteeism:
- Bullying and harassment
- Burnout, stress and low morale
- Childcare and elder care
- Depression – This is the leading cause of absenteeism in the USA.
- Disengagement
- Illness and injury – offered cited as the reason for absence but not always the case!
- Partial shifts – Often overlooked: Arriving late, leaving early and taking longer breaks than allowed are considered forms of absenteeism and can affect productivity and workplace morale.
The true cost of absenteeism in the workplace
According to an article in Sky News figures released by PricewaterhouseCoopers “show that Brits bunk off nearly twice as much as workers in the US.”
The average worker has 10 unscheduled days off work per year and absenteeism costs the UK a staggering £32bn each year….The UK number is also twice as high compared to Asia-Pacific, where workers take 4.5 days off.
The article goes on to say:
PwC’s analysis suggests that more flexible labour laws in the US and Asia could be a reason for workers being more committed there.
Richard Phelps, HR consulting partner at PwC, said: “For a variety of reasons, there seems to be a hunger among workers in US and Asia to go the extra mile.”
“With sickness accounting for the lion’s share of absence, the question for employers is what can be done to improve health, morale and motivation.”
We clearly have a huge problem in the UK and it is costing UK businesses money, what can you do as an employer to improve the health, morale and motivation of your workforce?
Employers really need to be proactive in the modern workplace. Businesses that employ wellness strategies which take into account employee health concerns such as, Physical health, Psychological health, Work-home balance, Environmental health and Economic health have a net positive effect on a company’s bottom line – and that’s good for business.
Healthier, happier employees will be more able and motivated to go to work each day, resulting in increased productivity and higher moral for the individual workers as well as the entire team.
When wellness and health are actively promoted an employee is 2.5 times more likely to see you as a best performer with their levels of engagement to increase by eight times. (Source World Economic Forum)
This is a problem you can’t continue to ignore! Visit my new website http://www.transform-my-life.com/corporate-wellness/ for more information. Please download my “Top 10 Tips on Transformation” at the website!
Dr Susie Mitchell 