From left, Kate Elliott, Jill Schouten and Zennia Matthew with Sequel Naturals prepare themselves smoothies and salad for lunch at the office in Port Coquitlam, B.C.LAURA LEYSHON
You're sneezing, coughing, feel achy all over and know you're likely running a fever.
You know you should stay home from work and rest but that big project is due at the end of the week and you have a critical meeting today to determine a key piece. So, you trudge into the office anyway.
Sound familiar? In this tough economy, with fewer employees tackling heavier workloads and job security worries still rampant, 61 per cent of workers admit to going to the office while they're ailing, according to a recent poll of 6,147 Canadians by job site Monster.ca .
The compelling reasons? Thirty-five per cent said they're just too busy to take the time, while one in four were afraid of losing their job if they called in sick.
But, warns Rochelle Morandini, you're not doing yourself or your company any favours with your "presenteeism" - showing up to work so you're physically present on the job but not working up to speed because of illness. Indeed, several studies have found that the lost productivity costs of presenteeism run higher than those of absenteeism.
"You're sharing your lovely germs with everyone else, and if you're not performing as well as you could be, that may lead to increased mistakes and errors," says Ms. Morandini, who leads Hewitt and Associates' organizational health practice in Vancouver. "You're also not getting the rest you need, which could prolong the illness."
Ms. Morandini says that employers have an obligation to provide a healthy and safe environment and that it's critical organizations support workers who need to be off when they're ill. "There needs to be expectations set that, if you're not well, you go home," she says. "Managers need to give employees permission to be sick."
That may prove challenging for organizations that fear if they encourage the sending of staff home sick, they might invite abuse. "There's always a danger," Ms. Morandini acknowledges. But good attendance reports can help track absences and allow organizations to identify patterns of abuse, she adds.
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WHEN TO CALL IN SICK
You have fever
You have muscle aches
You have severe sore throat
You are nauseous or vomiting
You have a runny or stuffy nose
Source: B.C. Centre for Disease Control
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WHAT EMPLOYERS CAN DO TO DISCOURAGE PRESENTEEISM:
1. Develop and communicate your firm's sick leave policy.
2. Create a culture in which employees aren't afraid to take time off for sickness.
3. Train managers to give employees permission to be sick by encouraging ill workers to stay home.
4. Provide flexible work options such as working at home.
5. Promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Source: Rochelle Morandini, organizational health practice leader at Hewitt Associates in Vancouver
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PLAYING HOOKY
Some workers may fear calling in sick when they're ailing - but others feeling just fine use sick days as an excuse for some rest and relaxation. In fact, nearly a third of workers called in sick when they were well at least once in the past year, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. Moreover, 28 per cent of managers figure workers are faking excuses to be off work because they're feeling so much stress and burnout in this economy, the survey also found.
The top reasons that workers play hooky?
Just didn't feel like going to work: 32 per cent Had a doctor's appointment: 31 per cent Needed to relax: 28 per cent Wanted to sleep: 16 per cent Work-related, from wanting to miss a meeting to wanting time to work on a project: 12 per cent
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CHECKING UP
For some employers, just calling in sick may suffice. But others want a little more proof. Nearly three in 10 - 29 per cent - of employers check up on absent employees, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey. How do they confirm?
70: Percentage that require a doctor's note
52: Percentage that call employees at home
18: Percentage that will ask a co-worker to call a worker who has called in sick
17: Percentage that will drive by an employee's home
Source: CareerBuilder.com 2009 survey of 7,884 U.S. workers and managers
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WACKIEST EXCUSES FOR CALLING IN SICK
I got sunburned at a nude beach and can't wear clothes.
My buddies locked me in the trunk of an abandoned car after a weekend of drinking.
My mom said I was not allowed to go to work today.
I'm just not into it today.
I'm convinced my spouse is having an affair and I'm staying home to catch them.
I was injured chasing a seagull.
I woke up in Canada.
Source: CareerBuilder.com 2009 survey of 7,884 U.S. workers and managers
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EMPLOYEE WELLNESS
Charles Chang knows that sick employees add up to lost productivity. So the president of Port Coquitlam, B.C.-based Sequel Naturals Ltd. is trying to do his bit to help cut down employee absences for illness by taking an active hand in trying to keep them well.
Mr. Chang, whose company makes natural food supplements, takes an "ounce of prevention" approach when it comes to managing employee wellness. "A healthy immune system is your best defence against illness," he says.
To give his 230 full and part-time employees a healthy boost, Mr. Chang serves them up breakfast and lunch. Twice a week, the office kitchen is stocked with fresh fruit and milk for breakfast smoothies, plus all the fixings you can think of so employees can whip up a wicked salad come lunch, he says. In between, they can munch on seeds and nuts.
"We talk a lot about the benefits of healthy living, through diet, exercise and stress management. Our philosophy is reflective of the healthy lifestyle we promote as a company."
There are also gym membership allowances, a health spending account, which staff can use on anything from massages to acupuncture to naturopathic care, and a generous product allowance of $3,000 to $5,000 a year.
Still, employees invariably do get sick, Mr. Chang says. "It's rare, but when it does happen, there's no question, you go home."
And remote access technology means staff who aren't feeling up to commuting into the office have the option of working from home, if necessary, he says.
Employee sick days can also be used to care for family members, Mr. Chang adds. "Of course you have to care for your son, if he's sick." The firm is also flexible about granting extra time off if needed. "It's not always a free ride. They have to make it up, but it's up to them to determine how they do that. It's their responsibility."
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FEELING ILL
61 percentage of Canadian workers who say they go to work while sick
76 Percentage of workers worldwide who work while sick
26 percentage of workers who say they fear for their jobs if they call in sick
35 percentage of workers who cite workload as the reason for going to work sick
13 Percentage of employees who work at home when they are sick
26 Percentage of workers who stay at home to get well
32 Percentage of workers who called in sick when they were well at least once in the past year.
28 Percentage of employers who think more employees are absent with fake excuses due to recessionary stress and burnout
63 Percentage of companies that let their employees use sick days as mental health days
29 Percentage of managers who will check up on an employee who calls in sick
35 Percentage of workers who took sick leave on a Monday, highest day of the week.
January: Month that accounted for the highest rate of absence, with sick leave averaging one-half day per person.