There’s a new disease spreading across North America. It’s called “presenteeism.” According to some estimates, 75% of the workforce suffer from this newly coined illness, affecting the safety culture and bottom line of many companies. When sick employees show up for work, they’re not only less productive, they’re also exposing co-workers, effectively reducing the company’s overall productivity. They’re also jeopardizing their own safety and that of everyone around them. Let me explain how you can rid your workplace of presenteeism.

The Causes of Presenteeism

First, let’s look at the causes of presenteeism. Why do employees still go to work when they’re sick and may have a contagious disease? Their motivation can best be described as one of the following three things:

1. Fear. Employees are afraid that they’ll be fired or that their boss and/or co-workers will think less of them if they stay home.

2. Denial. Some workers won’t admit to themselves that they’re sick. Or, they fool themselves into thinking that they’re over their cold, flu, stomach virus or other ailment. The marketing claims of over-the-counter medications sold at the typical pharmacy feed into this false sense of well-being.

3. Dismissal. Workers might recognize that they’re ill but brush it off as “nothing serious.” For example, it’s not uncommon for workers to come to work with a cough. Smokers are especially apt to associate the cough with their habit rather than as a symptom of something more immediate and serious, like a low grade fever (which can be as low as 99.5 to 100º F).

What to Tell Your Workers

One of the best way to combat presenteeism is to have your supervisors speak directly to your workers about the problem. Supervisors should explain the dangers of presenteeism and reassure workers that:

1. They won’t get into trouble for staying home when they’re sick. Supervisors need to let workers know that it’s not only okay but strongly recommended that they stay home when they’re ill. Warn workers about the harm they could do to themselves and others by coming to work sick. Let them know that the best thing they can do for themselves and the company is stay home, take care of themselves and get better as soon as possible.

2. They shouldn’t reside too much trust in medications. Make sure workers understand that there is no cure for the common cold, or for any other virus for that matter. Also, let them know that some of the medications they may take before coming to work — as the label will warn — can cause drowsiness or affect their ability to concentrate. Explain that these effects might be present at work even if they take these medications at bedtime.

3. They should listen to what their body is telling them. Tell workers to take their symptoms seriously. For example, ignoring a cough, for any reason, is a bad idea. If the cough is due to smoking, then it could be a warning sign of a more serious condition. If the cough is associated with a cold or a low grade fever, it could lead to hospitalization. Sometimes a cough and cold lead to pneumonia and a very serious condition where the fluid in the lungs becomes infected and “locked in.” This condition, known as empyema, can be life threatening; at the least, it can lead to long-term disability and hospitalization.

Help Workers Make Sound Judgments

Tell workers that they should stay home and call a medical professional if they:

• Have a fever and chills;
• Have a contagious eye infection, particularly conjunctivitis; or
• Have a severe earache, a persistent cough or a sinus headache.

Workers can come to work if they:

• Have allergies that include a slight cough or runny nose; or
• Have a sprain or strain, as long as they:
  • consider the nature of their work,
  • advise the supervisor that they cannot do any lifting, carrying or long-term standing, and
  • provide a doctor’s note.

Conclusion

Don’t let presenteeism infect your workforce. Make sure that your supervisors emphasize to workers that no one — not the boss, not the company president and not their co-workers — will hold it against them for staying home when they are legitimately sick. It is better to keep the disease localized and not spread it to others than to try to be a hero and come to work at less than full efficiency.

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