Businesses should consider the risks of "presenteeism"

Flu season is under way, and employers are gearing up for more sick employees dragging themselves — and their germs — into work. According to findings of the 2007 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey, 87 percent of employers report that sick employees who show up to work are suffering from short-term illnesses such as a cold or flu, which can be easily spread. CCH is a provider of human resources and employment law information and services and a part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. The survey also found that just one in four organizations report they have a plan in place to deal with the consequences if a large percentage of employees become ill, indicating that most organizations are less than well prepared in the event of a pandemic.

ContinuityCentral writes that when sick employees show up for work, known as “presenteeism,” there is a significant and costly impact on an organization, not only in terms of risking the spread of disease, but also in terms of diminished productivity, quality, and attention to safety. Overall, the CCH Survey found that 38 percent of employers report presenteeism as being a problem in their organizations. “We all know what it feels like to have the flu — you’re not operating at 100 percent, you may not even be operating at 50 percent,” said CCH employment law analyst Brett Gorovsky. “When you start thinking about that in terms of what you’re contributing to the workplace versus what risks you’re introducing - in terms of quality, safety, and spreading germs - the bottom line for most organizations is that it’s in everyone’s best interest for sick workers to simply stay away.”

According to the 2007 CCH Survey, sending sick employees home is the single most common approach employers take to reduce presenteeism, used by 54 percent of organizations. “Employers need to discourage both the ‘hero employee’ — and even more so, the ‘hero boss’ — who show up for work sick, ready to muddle their way through the day,” said Gorovsky. “Employees are in tune with the differences between what management says and what it means, and when they see their supervisors coming in sick, they’re convinced that’s what’s expected of them also.” Other ways employers discourage presenteeism include: educating employees on the importance of staying home when sick, used by 40 percent of organizations; 34 percent foster a culture that discourages employees from coming to work sick; and 30 percent of employers say they use telecommuting programs as a way to deter presenteeism. “Employers need to be cautious about encouraging employees to work, even from home, while they’re ill,” noted Gorovsky. “But there can be instances where allowing telecommuting as an option can keep a sick worker, perhaps someone with a sprained ankle, in the loop without requiring them the additional strain of coming into the office.”