This is a great article from HR Daily which highlights the hidden costs of unproductive workers…
Presenteeism costing employers 11 weeks per worker
Employees are unproductive for a “staggering” 57.5 days per year, but employers can slash this amount by addressing the underlying causes, global research has found.
Based on a survey of nearly 2,000 employees, and validated against the World Health Organisation’s workplace health and productivity questionnaire, the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) study shows the cost of presenteeism is more than 10-times higher than the cost of absenteeism.
GCC data scientist Dr Olivia Sackett says the study clearly shows the “major culprit” of lost productivity is not, as many assume, absenteeism.
“On average, employees in our sample group took about four sick days off each year but when they reported on how many days they lost while on the job, that number shot up to a staggering 57.5 days per year per employee,” she says.
GCC chief medical officer Dr David Batman says there are many reasons employees at all levels of an organisation might not be fully productive, including stress and fatigue caused by personal problems.
“Everyone will face tough challenges at some stage in their lives,” Batman says.
“Some of us will lose a loved one or suffer the breakdown of a relationship. We may experience a financial disaster or be bullied at work. We may be victims of crime, have a car accident [or] contract a serious illness.”
Employers should expect these struggles, and work to “create a supportive culture and build a resilient team” that can effectively deal with them, he says.
A key to this is ensuring managers are attentive to their people.
“I want managers to recognise that if something has changed ‚Äì whether it’s at work or at home ‚Äì there could be a problem,” Batman says.
“They should quietly take that person aside and say, ‘Are you okay? Something has changed and I’m concerned about you. Can I do something to help?'”
Specifically, managers should notice if employees start to:
• lack attention and become easily distracted;
‚Ä¢ seem uninterested in what they’re doing and unconcerned about outcomes;
• let their performance deteriorate;
• come in late and leave early; or
• have more accidents or altercations with colleagues.
The good news is that while studies show there’s no quick fix for absenteeism, which needs long-term solutions, “presenteeism responds well to short-term action”, enabling employers to quickly achieve dramatic positive change.
The key is to realise presenteeism is only a symptom, and to focus on the cause. The critical element is balance, Batman says.
“Balance is about how you manage your life ‚Äì at work and at home ‚Äì and it’s just a series of simple steps.
“It’s how you exercise, eat, drink, whether or not you smoke, how well-rested you are and whether you find time for yourself, family and colleagues.”
Batman says these principles can be simplified and delivered in a workplace setting with surprising ease and effectiveness.
GCC’s 12-month health and performance program, for example, helps employees improve their relationship with exercise, nutrition, sleep and psychological wellbeing to instil renewed personal responsibility, self-belief and resilience.
Sackett says participants from the 2015 program reported substantial improvements in sleep, stress levels and overall happiness, and on average gained the equivalent of 10 days in lost time.
“Employees were spending more of the time they were at work actually working ‚Äì and they were enjoying it more,” she says.
Batman adds that by investing in their people, and shifting the needle on the key metrics of sleep, stress and happiness, employers can make measurable improvements in productivity, and reduce the phenomenon of lost time.
Source HR Daily Tuesday, 15 March
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&nav=1&selkey=3893&utm_source=daily+email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+Email+Article+Link