Presenteeism: What is it and how to fight back

The productivity crisis is hurting businesses, with rates of productivity consistently dropping throughout the UK and beyond. One of the issues that cause companies to lose money is presenteeism — but what is it? And how can you ensure your employees are as productive as they can be when they show up for work?

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What is presenteeism?

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Presenteeism, also referred to as ‘sickness presence’, is the the practice of showing up to work without being productive. This can be because of fatigue, overtime, or ill-health — be it mental or physical.

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What causes presenteeism?

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Picture this: it’s 7am on a weekday and your alarm goes off. You wake up only to be faced with a terrible headache (or the flu, or completely burnt out). Now the question is — do you send a message to your boss that you won’t come in and go back to sleep to take care of your health, or do you get up and head to the office anyway?

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Of course, we all know that the healthy answer is the former — not only will it enable you to get better more quickly (and might get others sick too), but also, more likely than not, if you do choose to forego the sick day and brave through the day, you’ll probably be far less (or not at all) productive. Unfortunately, this will continue for days to come until you get over your illness, which will be down a long road if you push yourself too hard.

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However, when employees feel insecure in their role or the consequences of taking time off, they might choose to be present anyway. This is what presenteeism is all about — unrealistic employer expectations, a toxic culture regarding illness, and excessive time pressures that can cause burnout.

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How to reduce presenteeism?

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As you can imagine, presenteeism can be extremely harmful not only to your employees, but also to your business as a whole. In fact, a recent study has shown that, out of a £30bn growth in the cost of staff sickness to businesses in the last year, £25bn are attributed to lower productivity as a result of presenteeism.

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Therefore, reducing presenteeism should be a top priority for any business. But how can you do this?

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Manage absence appropriately

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Sitting at the heart of the problem, managing absence properly is a vital step in improving presenteeism rates. Some ways you can do this include:

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• Offering enough time off and sick leave
• Encouraging employees to take time off regularly
• Making it easy for staff to take sick days (e.g. waiving the need for a doctor’s note)

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Having a clear system for taking time off and sick leave is essential — do you have an app or software that allows employees to record their leave without too much hassle? Does your staff know who they need to contact to get holidays approved? And can ill workers notify managers in a simple manner?

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Another important element of this is leading by example. If your staff notice that their managers are never away or are coming in with the flu, they’re more likely to avoid taking holidays or sick days. Ensure that all your management team take enough time to themselves.

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Further reading: What is absenteeism it and how to fight back 

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Promote wellness

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One way to combat presenteeism is to minimise sickness and burnout. In order to do this, you must look ater your employees and safeguard their work-life balance:

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• Offer flexible work hours
• Allow employees to work from home
• Be realistic about your staff’s workloads

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Providing your employees with a wellbeing programme can also help reduce illness and, as a result, presenteeism. For example, you could supply your staff with a mindfulness app subscription or gym membership. Other employers choose to offer health insurance or free/subsidised therapy sessions. Either way, ensure that your workers have all the resources they need to maximise their health, physically and mentally.

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Further reading: The hybrid era: how to do remote work right

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Communicate with your employees

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There’s no better way to understand your employees’ state of mind than to ensure you’re consistently checking it with them and enabling them to come to you when they have issues, and preventing presenteeism is no exception:

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• Schedule regular catch ups with employees
• Chat with employees who haven’t taken any holidays or sick leave for a period
• Encourage line managers to discuss the importance of taking time off with their staff

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Beyond 1-2-1s, however, it’s key that you receive a holistic image of your employees’ approach to sickness and time off. Conducting regular surveys is a great way to do this. For example, using the Thrive platform, you can send out wellbeing surveys that are designed to ensure your workplace is as healthy as it can be, including tips on how you can improve.

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Want to learn more about how Thrive can help you combat presenteeism? Book a demo with us today.

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