Are you making your employees sick?

Absenteeism costs UK businesses millions of pounds each year, while presenteeism is one of the biggest threats to productivity. Many companies believe sickness and stress are part of everyday life, so they simply accept it and take the hit. After all, we all get ill every so often, don’t we?

It’s true that some absences are unavoidable, but what often gets overlooked is that employers could actually be contributing to the physical and mental illness of their employees.

Poor communication, unrealistic targets, lack of motivation, constant criticism and insufficient training can lead to stress and anxiety. Poor lighting can cause headaches; bad ventilation can cause respiratory problems, and unclean kitchen and toilet areas can spread germs. Even something as simple as inadequate equipment can cause frustration and annoyance, making employees feel miserable and disengaged at work.

If you aren’t taking responsibility for the wellbeing of your employees, you could inadvertently be making them sick.

When it comes to employee wellbeing, there are four main areas of focus; environment, physical, psychological and social. If you pay attention to each of these, you’ll have a happier and healthier workforce, which will lead to increased productivity and greater profits.  

Environmental wellbeing

When employees are at work, they should feel safe, secure and comfortable. A clean, functional and safe workplace should be a minimum requirement.  Things to consider are:

Temperature – extreme temperatures can cause distraction, fatigue and discomfort, leading to an increase in workplace accidents.

Lighting – inadequate lighting can cause all kinds of issues, including headaches, eye strain and trips or falls.

Ventilation – low levels of oxygen or high carbon dioxide can affect your employees’ ability to concentrate, and high humidity can cause respiratory issues.

Cleaning – working in a dirty environment is unhygienic, unpleasant and distracting for employees.

Equipment – inadequate equipment, constant breakdowns and lack of essential supplies can all cause unnecessary frustration and stress.

Safety –health and safety training, first aid equipment and effective security and safeguarding policies will make employees feel safer and reduce workplace accidents.

Personal workstations – every employee should have a workstation that allows them to do their job comfortably without risk of injury. Invest in quality furniture and make special provisions when necessary.

Every company wants to keep costs down, but don’t cut corners on maintenance or equipment. A little investment into creating a pleasant working environment is cheaper than replacing talented employees or paying for long-term sickness.

Physical wellbeing

As well as ensuring comfort and safety, a clean, well-equipped workspace will improve the health of your employees. However, physical wellbeing isn’t just about preventing sickness or accidents at work; it’s about how you support employees when they do have a problem.

Sickness policy – a clear, documented sickness policy benefits both you and your employees.

Communication – during long-term sickness, there should be regular communication to ensure employees don’t return before they are ready and aren’t daunted by the thought of coming back.    

Phased returns – if an employee has had a serious illness or a long period of time off, a phased return may help them readjust more easily.

Return to work support – have regular discussions with your employees while they settle back into the role.

Hydration– simply adding extra watercoolers or providing employees with reusable water bottles can encourage them to stay hydrated which reduces fatigue and improves concentration.

Promote healthy eating – swap office biscuits with fruit, cereal bars or nuts and seeds.

Promote exercise – encourage employees to do more physical activity by introducing ‘take the stairs’ initiatives, subsidised gym memberships or lunchtime walking groups.

Some people have no idea about nutrition or physical health. Why not bring in trainers or speakers to give short presentations about how employees can improve their diet or incorporate more exercise into their daily routines? When employees are physically healthier, they are happier, more alert and more productive.

Psychological wellbeing

Everyone experiences some degree of stress and anxiety occasionally, but ongoing stress or high levels of anxiety can lead to serious mental and physical health issues. It’s ok to push ourselves out of our comfort zone every now and then, but if we constantly feel out of our depth, then it will become difficult to cope.

Support, training and development – if you don’t provide employees with the right training or support to do their job, they are going to feel stressed and anxious. Make sure employees feel confident in carrying out their roles and provide ongoing development opportunities.

Realistic targets – most businesses have periods of high-pressure, but consistently setting impractical deadlines or unrealistic targets, will put employees under undue stress. Set realistic expectations and achievable objectives and then support your teams in achieving them.

Good communication – effective communication can help identify issues before they become serious. Conduct regular face to face meetings and performance reviews.

Tailored support – everyone has different learning styles and ways of dealing with pressure. Learn which management styles and training methods work best for each employee. Introduce mentoring or coaching programmes where appropriate.

Autonomy – don’t micro-manage employees. Instead, put some trust in them, take their ideas on board and give them autonomy over their work.

Recognition and reward – show employees they are valued. Recognise individuals when they do a good job and reward outstanding performance.

Flexibility – flexible working can relieve pressure on employees by making the work-life balance easier to manage.

High-pressured environments, unrealistic targets and inflexibility can cause sleepless nights, apprehension, lack of appetite and burnout. Providing the right levels of support, investing in your employees and creating a happy and pleasant workplace helps ensure better mental health and a more engaged workforce.

Social wellbeing

Social wellbeing can directly impact mental wellbeing. Employees want to feel included and part of the team, not bullied or left out. A cohesive workforce is happier and more productive.

Inclusion and diversity – recruiting a diverse workforce provides many benefits, but you need to ensure an inclusive environment. Make sure that you offer the right support and help new employees integrate with existing employees.  

Team building – team building activities are a fantastic way of helping colleagues learn how to work together more effectively.

Social events – getting together outside work and socialising in a relaxed environment helps colleagues to bond and get to know each other better. 

CSR – supporting and working with charities is a great way of helping employees build their networks and feel more involved with the local community.

Collaborative working – encourage collaborative working and give employees the opportunity to work on projects with colleagues from other teams.

Address bullying – it’s natural for some people to become close friends at work but watch out for cliques that exclude people or encourage gossip. If you are worried someone is being bullied, or any employees feel ostracised, then you need to address it.

Maintain a professional distance – as a manager, it is nice to have friendships with employees, but don’t make special allowances for the people you like the most. Treat employees equally and don’t be seen to have favourites. 

We spend so much of our time at work so it should be enjoyable. Having workmates and colleagues we can turn to for support is important. Naturally, some colleagues will become better friends than others, but it is vital that everyone remains professional in the workplace and treats everyone with the same respect.

Invest in employee wellbeing

By investing in employee wellbeing, you will reduce sickness which will improve absenteeism, presenteeism and your results. Investing in employees makes them feel valued, and when employees feel valued, they feel more engaged. Engaged employees are more productive.

At Key Appointments, we are experts in helping our clients recruit and retain talented people. If you’d like any advice or support in becoming a better employer, so that you can attract and retain the right people, then we’d love to have a chat. Contact our friendly team to find out how we can help you.