What is presenteeism in the workplace?
Presenteeism describes a person coming into work despite one or more physical or mental health issues that affects their performance. This could be illness, injury, anxiety, or stress related issues. Presenteeism in people is like having low battery on a phone – the hardware is there, but the software isn’t able to function at capacity. Wellness initiatives are one way to help people recharge their batteries.
Are presenteeism and absenteeism at work the same thing?
While they might sound similar, presenteeism and absenteeism are opposite sides of the coin. Absenteeism is when employees are absent from work due to ill physical or mental health. Presenteeism is when they show up but aren’t fully present or productive.
What are the impacts of employee presenteeism in our workplaces?
The effects of presenteeism can be far-reaching:
- Reduced performance: employees who are present but not fully functional can’t perform at their best, and are likely to struggle with creativity, leadership, productivity and targets.
- Increased errors: when people work while unwell, they’re more likely to make mistakes and put themselves or others at risk.
- Illness: presenteeism can lead to the spread of disease if someone comes into work ill.
- Morale: nobody likes to see colleagues struggling, and presenteeism can bring down team spirit.
- Long-term health: pushing through health problems can lead to more serious conditions down the line.
How can wellbeing initiatives help prevent presenteeism?
Wellbeing initiatives aren’t just about encouraging your workforce to get fitter and healthier. They can also support people when they’re struggling with longer term health issues.
Employee wellbeing initiatives can help reduce anxiety around being unwell, especially if the person is juggling a busy home life or facing economic challenges.
It will also send a clear sign that your workplace has a culture of self-care, mutual support, and stewardship for all health and wellness issues. And that will boost morale and job satisfaction in the individual and in their colleagues.
5 initiatives to improve employee wellbeing in the workplace
Think outside the box with your employee benefits and wellbeing initiatives. Offering discounted flexible gym access is a powerful way to support employee fitness, and here are some broader ways to create a wellbeing culture.
Flexible Working Hours
- Design: a policy that allows employees to adjust their working hours within reason
- Roll out: introduce the policy in stages and adjust as necessary
- Communicate: use multiple channels (email, intranet, meetings) to explain the policy
- Encourage: share success stories from employees benefiting from flexible hours
Mental Health First Aid Training
- Design: partner with a mental health organisation to develop a training programme
- Roll out: train HR and management, then extend to interested employees
- Communicate: use comms channels to highlight the importance of mental health awareness
- Encourage: offer certification and recognition for those who complete the training
Wellness Challenges
- Design: create regular challenges focusing on different aspects of wellness
- Roll out: use a digital platform to track progress encourage engagement
- Communicate: launch each challenge with an event or email campaign
- Encourage: offer prizes or donations to charities chosen by the winners
Employee Benefit Scheme
- Design: partner with a specialist wellness benefit scheme to design a fit-for-purpose offer
- Roll out: introduce your new benefits to existing employees via your HR team
- Communicate: give employees full details of the scheme when they join
- Encourage: appoint wellness champions to encourage uptake of wellness benefits
Ergonomic Workspace Assessments
- Design: an assessment checklist and improvement process with ergonomics experts
- Roll out: conduct assessments, addressing urgent issues as quickly as possible
- Communicate: the benefits of ergonomic workspaces through short workshops or video communications
- Encourage: appoint wellness champions to maintain awareness and listen to concerns
Reducing presenteeism at work through physical fitness
Physical exercise is a powerful tool for improving cardiovascular health, preventing and relieving musculoskeletal issues, and reducing the risks of longer term health problems including obesity and heart disease. But it’s not always easy to encourage every employee to get more exercise.
By implementing wellbeing initiatives in the workplace, offering fitness as a benefit, and making sure employees have access to fitness spaces, you stand the best chance of impacting employee health and wellbeing.
- Stress reduction: exercise is a powerful stress management tool, both in the short term (all those endorphins) and for the long haul thanks to positive lifestyle habit change
- Improved energy: regular physical activity will improve cardiovascular health, help people sleep better, and help people feel more self-confident and alert
- Better immunity: a healthy body is better equipped to fight off illnesses, reducing both absenteeism and presenteeism
- Cognitive function: all types of physical activity – from walking to a HIIT workout – will enhance memory, creativity, and problem-solving skills
Tackling presenteeism starts with creating a supportive environment where everyone feels empowered to take care of their health and speak up when they’re struggling. By offering flexible gym memberships and implementing in-house wellbeing initiatives, you’ll be promoting physical health in your employees, and looking after their mental and emotional wellbeing too.
Has your employer reviewed their fitness benefits recently? Get discounted access to our network of fitness venues as an employee benefit- refer your HR team.
