Sickness rates among UK employees have been steadily declining over the past couple of decades – and now the average figure stands at just 4.4 days per person each year. At first glance, this is great news for employers; but then when we consider the rise in presenteeism over the same period, it’s clear the overall health of the nation hasn’t dramatically improved.
Instead, the drop in sickness rates seems to be explainable, at least in part, by employees continuing to work even though they’re not well. With 84% of us reporting we’d work while feeling unwell and the widespread disruption Coronavirus has caused to every single workplace, it’s an important issue which the team at Paycare, Health Cash Plan and Wellbeing Training provider, are keen to get employers talking about.
Money talks:
Discussions about presenteeism and money often centre around the cost to UK businesses –an estimated £15.1billion each year in lost productivity. But there is another side which needs to be a focus too: the financial reasons why employees would continue working even if they felt physically or mentally unwell.
One in six companies reduce a staff member’s wages down to statutory sick pay (SSP) levels after four days of sickness, and 43% of workers will be switched to SSP once they’ve been off work for two weeks.
There are 1.05 million UK workers on zero-hour contracts who would need to have earned an average of £120 a week for the previous eight weeks to qualify for SSP – leaving them vulnerable to earning nothing at all for the duration of their time off, if this doesn’t apply. Around 15% of the workforce is self-employed, meaning they don’t qualify for SSP either.
While there is additional support available for some (such as a mortgage holiday, or benefits to temporarily cover their rent and council tax payments), it’s clear that the maths just doesn’t add up for workers who still need to pay bills, look after their families, and buy essentials such as food and toiletries while they’re unwell. Over 8 million adults live alone in the UK and millions more are the sole working adult in their households, meaning they wouldn’t have another wage to rely on if they were switched to SSP while off work.
One in ten of us have no savings at all, and a third have less than £600 saved. Essentially, this means millions of workers making an impossible decision between struggling on knowing they are not physically or mentally able to carry out their work to the best of their ability, or facing a huge temporary drop in income.
The repercussions:
As well as the prospect of reduced or no income, employees also report a fear of losing their job if they take time off. Employers should consider whether your duties are contributing to your illness if you’re off work long-term; but being on sick leave doesn’t prevent you from being dismissed from your job.
In addition, there is sadly still a belief among some managers that presenteeism is necessary in order to get ahead and seek promotions (although this is reducing as a result of the rise in flexible working during the pandemic, according to a recent study).
It’s telling that 55% of respondents in Paycare’s recent LinkedIn poll about presenteeism reported they had attended work while unwell because they felt pressured to do so; a further 27% said they were sometimes reluctant to report being unwell to their managers, leaving only 18% who had taken time off when needed.
What can businesses do?
Fear of losing out financially if they don’t work through illness – whether short-term through reduced pay, or long-term through fewer promotion opportunities – is clearly having an impact when it comes to presenteeism.
But the good news is that employers can influence this. Here are Paycare’s top five tips to help fight the rise of presenteeism.
- Having a clear sickness policy – only 4% of workers currently know how much they’d be paid in SSP.
- Implementing a wellbeing strategy – every £1 invested in employee mental health brings in £5 in reduced presenteeism, absence and staff turnover.
- Provide access to a GP app and/or an Employee Assistance Programme.
- A Health Cash Plan helps employees claim cash back on a range of everyday treatments and healthcare needs.
- Reduce the stress: 10% of staff don’t take time off because of pressure from their employer and almost a third say they have too much work.
Paycare is running a series of virtual Mental Health First Aid training opportunities for employers who are keen to support their team’s wellbeing during the pandemic and beyond – find out more about the courses at www.paycare.org/mhfa-online/.