Robertson Cooper has identified three types of working whilst unwell, also known as presenteeism, and discusses how it can best be managed
New research from wellbeing specialist Robertson Cooperhas reexamined existing definitions and measurements of presenteeism in the workplace.
Generally considered to employees coming to work whilst ill, presenteeism can lead to reduced productivity and poorer quality of work.
Despite appearing to be for a company’s benefit by having employees present, this reduction in quality can have an overall negative impact on a company, especially if it happens repeatedly.
The whitepaper ‘Seeing Presenteeism Differently: Revealing the Good, the Bad and the Misunderstood’ seeks to better understand the nuances of employees working whilst unwell, and enabling employers to better manage ill health and the resulting impact on safety, productivity and absence.
The three types of working whilst unwell are:
- Pragmatic presence: is a form of functional presence, where employees can recover from their health issues, whilst still able to perform at full, or near to full, capacity. The research describes this as “the occasions when employees want to be in work to complete some tasks despite not feeling their very best.”
- Therapeutic presence: the second kind of functional presence, where employees are performing well below standard levels but obtain a ‘therapuetic’ benefit from being in work, such as social engagement or a sense of purpose. In this instance, hours or duties may be adjusted to fit the employee’s current abilities as part of their return to work.
- Presenteeism: true presenteeism is when employees are too unwell to work and would get no therapeutic benefit from continuing to work, even at a reduced level. This requires appropriate management, as it will impact both the employee and the business negatively.
Robertson Cooper reiterates that only presenteeism has a unilaterally negative impact on business, whereas the functional presence types should not always be considered a cost to business.
Ben Moss, managing director at Robertson Cooper shared: “Presenteeism in construction will not be stamped out until it is fully understood. Our research report will help construction businesses to accurately categorise the types of working whilst unwell present among their employees and improve their management of it.
“However, context is key and in construction, employee safety is paramount and therefore the types of functional presence must be approached with the required care and guidance.”
Poor attendance is a more complex issue than it might appear
Analysis was conducted of the data collected from employees across nine sectors, which revealed a positive relationship between absenteeism(not attending work without good reason) and working whilst unwell – that is, the rates tend to rise and fall together.
Ben continued: “Across the sectors we analysed, construction was third overall for rate of presenteeism in the period. This echoes calls in the media for a greater focus on managing presenteeism because it clearly continues to impede the sector’s development.
However, the positive correlation revealed between presenteeism and absenteeism demonstrates that with guidance around measurement and management, construction businesses now have an additional lever to pull when trying to influence absence rates and overall productivity. Ultimately, all of this leads to productivity gains, better support for employees and business cost savings.”
