"Presenteeism" Jeopardizes Healthy Workplaces

Employers are becoming increasingly aware that "presenteeism"—or workers coming to work when they are ill—can have a negative effect on productivity, a survey by CCH Incorporated found.

According to the results of the "2004 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey," 39% of employers surveyed on the issue of absence control among employees said presenteeism is a problem in their company. More than half of employers that rated their employee morale as low to fair identified presenteeism as a challenge for their organizations.

CCH researchers concluded that presenteeism not only frequently results in lower productivity among workers who come to work ill, it can also increase the risk of sick employees infecting their otherwise healthy co-workers.

Researchers warned that the problem of presenteeism could become especially acute this winter given the shortage of flu vaccine. "With a serious flu season looming, the idea of the 'hero worker' that manages to punch in for a full-day’s work, despite illness, needs to be discouraged," said Lori Rosen, CCH workplace analyst. "Being in contact with contagious individuals jeopardizes the health and productivity of all employees. Employers need to emphasize to employees that, while they want them at work, they first want a healthy workplace."

The findings also showed that 91% of companies surveyed used disciplinary action to enforce their absence control policies. CCH researchers recommended that employers review their sick day policies, to determine whether they may inadvertently encourage employee presenteeism.

"For example, in an organization that allots each employee five sick days a year and takes disciplinary action on the sixth absence, an employee who has been wiped out with the flu for several days may choose to come to work ill rather than risk the discipline," said Rosen. "This is especially true at the beginning of the year, when employees are concerned about depleting all of their allowed leave in just a month or two. Unfortunately, that time also is the height of the flu season."

Companies could mitigate presenteeism by allowing employees to carry over sick days from one year to another, researchers suggested. The survey showed, however, that the number of employers that allow employees to carry over sick leave has dropped from 51% in 2000 to 37% in 2004. Instead, 63% of the companies surveyed said they provide employees with a paid leave bank, under which personal, vacation, and sick days are combined into a single bank of days that can be used as needed.