How Can Employers Have Healthier Workplaces by Discouraging Presenteeism?

Presenteeism occurs when employees show up to work even though they are ill, only to demonstrate decreased levels of productivity and to place coworkers at risk of contracting their illnesses. Because sick employees can weaken the corporate bottom line, employers' concern about them is quickly growing.

The 2006 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey revealed an eight percent jump in the number of organizations that view presenteeism as a problem. In 2006, 56 percent of organizations reported presenteeism to be a problem --up from 48 percent in 2005 and 39 percent in 2004. Conversely, 44 percent reported that it is not a problem --down from 52 percent in 2005.

Morale affects presenteeism rates, too. The CCH survey makes it clear that workplace morale matters. When it comes to presenteeism, the results aren't any different. Despite higher rates of unscheduled absenteeism overall, companies with low morale also have more ill workers showing up for work. In fact, 63 percent of organizations with poor/fair morale reported presenteeism is a problem, while only 50 percent of organizations with good/very good morale see it as an issue.

How some companies combat presenteeism.

Well over half of survey respondents (62 percent) who think presenteeism is a problem combat the issue by sending sick employees home;
Forty-one percent choose to educate employees on the importance of staying home when they are sick;
Thirty-six percent are fostering a culture that discourages coming to work sick; and
Twenty-seven percent are attempting to create flexibility for sick employees by either permitting employees to telecommute when they are sick (22 percent) or giving employees an unlimited number of sick days (five percent).

Why presenteeism occurs. The first step in combating any workplace problem is understanding why it occurs in the first place. Two-thirds of responding companies (66 percent) believe employees come to work when they are ill because they have "too much work to do/deadlines." In addition, when asked, "Why do you think that some employees come to work even when they are ill?" survey respondents replied:

No one available to cover their workload (56 percent);
Do not want to use vacation time (50 percent);
Fear of discipline (46 percent);
Want to save sick time for later in the year (41 percent);
Company loyalty (36 percent);
Company culture discourages using sick days (25 percent); and
Too difficult to work from home for some people (15 percent).

Avoid inadvertently encouraging presenteeism. The CCH survey revealed a growing concern that some traditional absence control and sick policies may inadvertently encourage employee presenteeism. Organizations that adhere to traditional sick-time policies and take disciplinary action to enforce them may be making it difficult for employees to do the right thing. If, for example, an organization allows each employee five sick days a year and takes disciplinary action on the sixth day of absence, an employee who has been wiped out with the flu for several days early in the year may choose to come to work ill rather than risk the discipline.

Some employees can offset the risk of a poor health year if their employer allows them to carry over the sick days that they didn't use in healthier years. Only 44 percent of organizations surveyed by CCH, however, allow employees to carry over sick time from one year to the next --a decline from 51 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, the number of companies allowing employees to donate unused earned days to a leave bank for employees suffering from catastrophic illness, while still low, is on the rise, with 29 percent of organizations allowing this compared to just 23 percent in 2005.

Having a paid leave bank program is an effective way employers can help manage the problem of presenteeism. With a paid leave bank (or paid time off), the employee has more discretion as to how to use an entire bank of days, so if he or she is sick, a day can be taken from the bank to stay home without fear of being reprimanded or running out of sick days.