It seems that it’s not just muscular injuries that affect office workers as per our blog last week How to stop being a pain to your employees. We know that small spaces are a hotbed for germs, and 10% of employees in the UK state that colds and flu bugs get passed around their offices at least every three weeks.
Despite the possibility of infecting their co-workers, just 22% of staff said they would take a sickie day if they had a contagious illness. The average UK worker is reported to have two sick days every year, with a third taking none at all. Is this the case in your office?
What can you do? You need to create an environment where people don’t feel they have to come into work if they aren’t well. They need to be able to make judgment call as in how ill or contagious they are. You will always have some people who won’t come in just as they feel under the weather. Do you conduct return to work interviews?
According to YouGov research, 19% of British workers – around 9 million people – admit they have pulled a sickie in the past 12 months, either by making up an excuse about being ill when they weren’t (7%), saying they were more ill than they were to avoid going in (7%) or making up some other kind of excuse that was untrue (5%).
Among the young workforce, the numbers don’t help the stereotype: 28% of 18-24 year old workers have lied in the past year to get out of going into work, as have 23% of 25-39s.
5% of the British workforce admits to not going into work just because they were hung-over – and this increased to 11% of 18-24 year olds.
Short term absence is a complicated issue and should not be brushed off without further investigation – even during periods when sickies are traditionally high, apparently February 2nd has been dubbed ‘National Sickie Day.
Return to work interviews play a vital part in absence management
Best practice absence management means carefully assessing each absence on its merits. There are any number of reasons a person can be short-term absent, for example a disability related absence such as epilepsy or a diabetic crisis, stress and depression, problems at home, genuine illness and of course, sickies. It is important to document all sicknesses. This can be done very easily using Breathehr.
A good absence management process will support this process, so patterns are automatically brought to your attention. Of course, managing absenteeism and stamping out sickies is important, but the ability to manage short term sickness appropriately will not only protect the company from legal issues, but also improve engagement and ultimately employee wellbeing – and that can prove a win/win for everyone, not least the employee.
If you would like to learn more about return to work interviews or find out how Breathehr can help you, call us on 07810 563676.