Gesundheit-– Now Go Home!
Featured Guest Blogger November 17th, 2008
As the temperature drops here in New England, we can’t help but notice the trees looking bare, the holiday music in stores, Thanksgiving menus being prepared, and…the beginning of cold and flu season. Tissues are abundant, flu shot stations have opened up, and people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. To them I say, “Go home and push the fluids!” But others may say, “Get your work done, then rest up.”
Presenteeism refers to lost productivity that occurs when employees come to work but perform below par due to any kind of illness. Absenteeism has been examined for years, but the costs and benefits of presenteeism is a newer topic under investigation.
At first, it seems that this is a value-based judgment: pull yourself up by your bootstraps and tough it out, or, get well now and be more useful when you come back. However, upon second glance, one may see public health and business reasons for disallowing presenteeism in the workplace.
Here are some facts:
- Nearly half of employers reported that presenteeism is a problem in their organization because employees who come to work sick are less productive and more likely to infect co-workers.
- It costs less for employers to provide paid sick days than to absorb the costs associated with the decreased productivity of sick employees and the increased spread of illness that results when sick employees come to work.
- Workers who take paid sick days recover faster and are less likely to infect their workplaces or the public, which may reduce health care expenditures.
Let’s not forget that this is a class issue. Low income workers often do not have the benefits to support them in staying home to recover from an illness; therefore they have no choice but to show up at work sick.
There are many articles and blogs on this issue, and policymakers also have an important role in helping businesses and employees with presenteeism.
