Enough to make anyone sick
May 5, 2008 by Bill MeltzerPosted in: Chronic health conditions, Cutting costs, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
Presenteeism — employees taking a “mental off day” at work — is one of the hardest workplace problems to find and fix. But there’s hope.
The costliest presentees are the ones who come to work sick, in order to avoid using their paid time off. These folks are not only non-productive, tbut they also put co-workers’ health and safety at risk.
Cold and flu the most common
A recent study identified the 10 conditions employees are most likely to bring to work – and which ones cost employers the most in lost productivity. Not surprisingly, employees who tried to “tough out” a bad cold or the flu are the most likely presentees.
In terms of lost-productivity cost to employers, cold, flu and respiratory infections account for up to 24% of yearly presenteeism costs. This reflects direct costs alone: It doesn’t account for failure to manage the risk of the sick employee causing other workers to get sick. Other top conditions:
- upper and lower respiratory infections
- allergy
- migraine headache
- depression
- asthma
- arthritis
- any form of cancer, and
- heart disease
Cancer and heart disease cases are beyond the realm of typical presenteeism prevention. These are disability, FMLA, and/or disease management issues. But the productivy drains caused by the other conditions on the list can largely be plugged by taking steps to discourage employees from coming to work sick.
From a sheer cost-management perspective, your company is better off having employees to stay home if they’re feeling miserable– or instruct supervisors to send home workers who obviously aren’t feeling well. While absenteeism isn’t cheap, presenteeism almost always costs more.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I keep reading articles about the cost of presenteeism ti to the Employer, and I understand this from the perspective of HR but shouldn’t we consider the employees as well? After all their welfare is our business also. Is it realistic to hire someone and say you get 5 days off the first year, but boy - if you get sick - there goes a vacation day? How realistic is it to tell a new hire we give them vacation time, but we believe they will never get sick in 365 days time? A person plans a vacation with their family & then can’t afford it because they are hourly and lost pay IF they stay home. I think SOME sick days should be mandantory of employers to offer, whether they call it a floating holiday or sick day does not matter. I suppose this is not a politically correct statement coming from an HR person, but I know I can’t afford to lose even a days pay, so if I’m sick - I’ll be “present”. I need to put groceries on the table, and that’s the bottom line.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I completely agree with Lee above. Numerous times I have seen hourly paid people miserable but still at work because they can’t afford to lose a days worth of pay, including myself. And then they end up having to use vacation time to pay for that sick day and as a result, never really get a true vacation. Just giving sick days to exempt personnel is infair. Everyone should be treated equally when it comes to benefits of that nature, not just dependant on your staus.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
What is wrong with Lee and Patti, If your sick, stay home and stop infecting everyone else. In my office if your sick you are sent home whether you are hourly or salary. Sure it hurts my pocket (I’m hourly) but what’s right is right. Do you send your childred to school when they are sick?
May 7th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
We have give both our exempt and nonexempt staff 5 sick days a year. But we find that we have a problem with some employees who will come in to work sick, but will call in a sick day stating (but not sounding) that they are sick just to have a free day off. (They get vacation and personal time too!)
May 7th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
My problem is the lead in to the article was dealing with employees that take “mental health days” yet the article never addressed it? I’d like to hear what others have to say about that topic. I have work ethics that do not allow me to “take a sick day” for any reason other than truly being sick. My “mental health,” conscience in fact, would not enjoy the day at all. That is what I believe we have vacation time for.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Sue,
Regarding Mental Health days - that is why I like PTO time. It can be used for sick days, mental health days or going to the dentist. You don’t have make an excuse - you just need give proper notice.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
In my office, the upper level employees call in as “working at home” instead of using their vacation time for sick-child care or no-school child care. I guess the sense of entitlement isn’t just limited to this young generation of workers.