The idea of working overtime or being constantly available might sound appealing to some. However, presenteeism isn’t healthy for your staff or your business.
It’s important to deal with presenteeism and encourage safe and reasonable working procedures. You also need to care for your staff’s physical and mental wellbeing.
If you fail to protect them during work, you could face claims of unlawful treatment. This could lead to costly penalties and damages for your business.
In this guide, we’ll look at what presenteeism is, the different types of presenteeism, and how to eliminate it from work methods.
What is presenteeism?
Presenteeism is when employees excessively work more than their contracts state.
Picking up more shifts than normal or regularly working overtime are classic examples. But it’s also found when employees continue work instead of taking sick leave.
It’s the opposite of absenteeism, which involves being absent for more than what is considered reasonable.
What are the causes of presenteeism in the workplace?
The causes can develop from informal presenteeism cultures or habits found in the workplace. It might be a shared social norm, or it could come from higher management. Some causes for presenteeism include:
- Having unreasonable work expectations and deadlines.
- Not providing sick leave and pay.
- Being insecure about job placements.
- Treated unfairly for taking sick leave.
- Lack of staff to complete work.
How does presenteeism affect the workplace?
Presenteeism can have significant impacts on a person’s health ― in particular, mental health and wellbeing. Employees who are regularly overworked are more likely to suffer from additional sickness and ill health.
The Organisation of Working Time Act (1997) prohibits employees from working excessive amounts of hours. So, even if individuals are happy with the extra hours, you need to remain legally compliant.
You aren’t legally obliged to provide paid overtime unless it’s agreed to through contractual terms. So, if you mismanage these overtime hours and pay, you could breach contracts and face legal consequences.
Eliminating a presenteeism culture might be hard. But you need to monitor it whilst following your legal duty of care. Some employees might be happy to work extra hours ― but you need to draw a line somewhere.
What are the different types of presenteeism?
Presenteeism can take several different forms. But in the end, it can negatively affect your staff and business. Different types of presenteeism include :
Habitual voluntary overtime
This is when employees regularly volunteer to stay behind and work. They might do this because they have fears for their job security.
Working whilst sick will ultimately increase absences and decrease work productivity.
Disengagement
This is when employees might regularly be working overtime, but they don’t want to. Due to repeated hours of work, they could feel unmotivated or disengaged.
A classic example of this would be working overtime to make more money. Employees might not want to work the hours but need the money to live their lives.
Technological disengagement
This is when employees feel they need to stay ‘logged-in’. An example of this can be always having to reply to emails or check work updates outside of work hours.
Here, missing a notification can lead to working too much, sometimes without rest breaks.
Absenteeism and leaveism
Absenteeism and leaveism are commonly linked with presenteeism. Collectively, they all negatively affect productivity and revenue.
Absenteeism is when an employee is regularly absent from work. It relates to a frequent lack of attendance, rather than authorised leave or sick leave.
Leaveism is when an employee uses annual leave to catch up on their workload or work outside their contracted hours. Employees are pressured to stay ‘available’ at any given time.
How to deal with presenteeism in the workplace
Presenteeism, absenteeism, and leaveism can become major indicators of your business output. If they aren’t managed, they could impact more than just your bottom line.
To identify causes or triggers, you’ll need to understand how to measure presenteeism. Here are ways you can deal with presenteeism at work:
Review absence and leave policies
Most businesses will have different procedures for certain leave, like holidays or sickness. If you don’t regulate absences properly, you might miss the signs of presenteeism.
Make sure your employees are aware of their annual leave entitlements. You can even offer paid sick days that can help reduce any financial burdens they might be suffering from.
Set workloads appropriately
You need to ensure all employees are given appropriate workloads. Managers must set reasonable tasks and timeframes. This will lessen the burden to constantly perform and be available.
Depending on your business, you need enough staff to complete the necessary workload. If you concentrate on this, it will diminish workplace stress and burnout.
Get rid of attendance incentives
It looks very unhealthy if an employee has never taken a single day off work. Having 100% attendance may seem like a positive thing. But in fact, it’s a clear indicator for presenteeism.
Encouraging good attendance with gifts and awards is counterproductive for staff health and wellbeing. You should be focusing on staff engagement in the healthiest way ― by not gaining perfect attendance.
Focus on mental health and wellbeing
It’s important to look after the health, safety, and welfare of your staff. Not only is this your legal duty, but it’s also a moral one.
Focus on the importance of mental health and wellbeing. And eliminate any stigma or negative connotations found in your work cultures and habits.
You can offer a range of supports, from mental health sick leave to counselling sessions. It should be equally as important to physical health. If you focus on this, it’ll substantially decrease work-related illnesses and presenteeism habits.
Get expert help on managing presenteeism with Peninsula
Employers must fully understand how presenteeism leads to workplace burnout and improper overtime. Even if your staff legally agrees to work extra hours, you still need to follow appropriate procedures beforehand.
If you fail to provide safe working conditions for your staff, you could face claims of unlawful treatment. And this could lead to hefty financial penalties and costly business damages.
Peninsula offers expert advice on dealing with presenteeism in the workplace. Our clients get access to 24-hour HR advice that can help you manage working conditions.
Get in touch today or use our callback form to arrange a more convenient time. Call us on 0800 028 2420
