It is acceptable for workers to take days off regularly, but when they often do so, that can create workplace issues for both the employee and employer. In many instances, even though an employee’s sick leave is due to an injury or illness that can’t be helped, there are also many times when a worker takes a sick day due to factors in the workplace which place stress on the employee, create a poor environment to work in, or a lack of support from a supervisor/manager. Therefore, it is imperative for all organisations to know the reasons expounded by workers as to why they take sick leave. As such, many employers are no longer just tracking sick leave numbers, but they are making healthy work environments and improving employee welfare a priority. By addressing the root causes of employee absences, companies can lessen the unnecessary amount of time they get sick and continue supporting their employees in a positive and helpful manner.
Workplace Stress and Overload
Workplace stress is a major contributor to absenteeism. Employees who are constantly under pressure from tight deadlines and impossible expectations can quickly become overwhelmed by their workload and will often develop burnout, anxiety, headaches, or fatigue. Employees who have large workloads can contribute to this; when employees are continually tasked with work that exceeds assumptions, performance declines and health is impacted.
As a result, organisations are looking to review someone else’s workload to ensure the work they receive remains manageable. Managers are actively encouraged to set realistic deadlines and not overload individuals with tasks. Many companies have now implemented a workload tracking system or regularly check in with their employees to identify stress levels at the earliest opportunity.
Additionally, organisations have focused on improving employee attendance by promoting a better work/home life balance and encouraging employees to take regular breaks, annual leave, and switch off after hours.
The Development of Poor Mental Health or Emotional Pressure
A major cause of absenteeism in the workplace includes mental health problems like depression or anxiety, along with emotional fatigue. Employees often do not want to share these problems because they may be afraid of being stereotyped or misunderstood. Emotional pressure tends to develop gradually and slowly, particularly in high-paced or highly demanding settings; when individuals lack adequate support, they usually require a long period of rest and recuperation.
Organisations today are beginning to incorporate mental wellness into their absence control processes. These methods can include the availability of employee assistance programmes, easy access to counselling/mental health support, and education concerning mental health issues.
Managers receive coaching to help them identify the early indicators of emotional strain such as social withdrawal, changes in attitude or behaviour and lack of involvement in the workplace. By identifying emotional distress early, organisations are in a position to provide support prior to developing into bigger challenges.
Physical Disorder and Work Conditions
Colds, flu virus, and infectious diseases are the main reasons for short-term absences from work. Poor hygiene in many workplaces, along with sharing equipment with co-workers or working in close quarters with each other, can contribute to the transmission of diseases from person to person. Musculoskeletal disorders, such as backaches and repetitive strain injuries, are another common ailment suffered by office and manual labourers.
To improve employee welfare, businesses are making an effort to promote better working conditions through maintaining good hygiene, creating a clean work environment, and offering vaccinations where possible. Implementing simple things like hand sanitising stations and routine cleaning procedures greatly reduces the transmission of illnesses to other people in the workplace.
For injuries due to physical strain, businesses provide ergonomic workstations, proper seating, and appropriate training related to health and safety. Improvements such as these help prevent individuals from having to take time off work for a prolonged period due to physical discomfort.
Inflexible Work Arrangements May Lead to Sick Days
An employee’s inflexible working arrangement could lead to days off for health reasons; employees who cannot alter their schedules may have difficulties managing’ non-serious’ illnesses or personal responsibilities (non-serious illness being defined as less than 3 days) and may end up taking a full day off because of this lack of flexibility.
Inflexible work arrangements may also create stress levels in employees who have both caring responsibilities for dependent family members or the like and also work commitments; some employees may feel the need to ‘leave work’ before they are finished for the day.
As a result, many companies are now introducing some form of flexible working option to allow employees to continue working in a manner that best suits their health / personal situations; options can include home-based working, flexible working hours and/or hybrid working arrangements.
Flexibility reduces stress (therefore allows employees to deal with non-serious/short-term sickness absence) and assists employees with managing their non-serious/short-term sickness absence. As a result of this, employee satisfaction and retention will generally increase.
There are many things that have an effect on sick leave, such as your physical health, stress levels, mental health, workplace culture, and management practises among others. Not all absences can be prevented; however, many absences could be reduced by addressing their cause. Organisations that emphasise employee well-being, have flexible working arrangements, maintain good communication with their employees, and provide leadership support typically have much lower absenteeism levels and more engaged employees than organisations that simply track employee attendance. Organisations can help create healthier workplaces if they identify and resolve the primary reasons that cause absences from work and create a culture where their employees feel supported, appreciated, and capable of doing their best work.
If you are an employer and looking for advice on managing your employees sickness absence, get in touch with Workforce Wellbeing today and discover how we can assist you.
