Every worker is faced with the same choice every morning: Do I get up and go to work, or call in sick and go back to bed? And managers have to deal with the choices made by their employees—especially during cold and flu season.
Sickness Stats
Accurate absenteeism statistics tend to be vague because companies give employees a yearly allotment of paid days off which can be used for sick time or other personal reasons. Even so, employee absences are a headache for managers—and the problem is getting worse.
According to one, personal illness remains the most common reason for no-shows. It accounts for 32 percent of all missed workdays. Some studies have calculated that sick days cost employers about three percent of their total payroll costs.
So, what's a manager to do? People are going to get sick, and it is sometimes better to have them stay home than come in and spread those germs from cubicle to cubicle. Then again, there's a business to run.
Eliminating the Virus
First, you need to analyze absenteeism data and find out what is causing the problem. Managers should look for trends in sick leave use. Are more people calling in sick on certain days, say Mondays and Fridays? Does a certain supervisor's department have a higher rate of absenteeism than others?
Dan Otish is the Manager of Health and Productivity for a trucking company. He is responsible for overseeing that company's health-related programs, ranging from industrial safety to healthcare promotion. By just tracking the data, he has helped reduce those rates from five percent to 3.5 percent over a one year period.
"You have to make sure managers are aware of the tracking results," Otish says, "so they can look for answers. All the programs we have put in place use a multi-prong approach: better measuring of those programs, improving and putting in health promotions programs, offering additional health services at some of our locations, and bringing doctors on-site as opposed to having people have to go to the doctor's office." In fact, International Truck and Tire found it cheaper to keep a doctor on-site than have workers take time off for minor ailments.
The best way to reduce absenteeism may be to keep workers from getting sick in the first place. Sean Simpson, a healthcare supervisor in Phoenix, recommends companies pay for employee flu shots: "It's a low-cost, high-leverage step." He also advises companies to take a closer look at workplace allergies and what they can do to prevent or treat them.
Take Two Laps & Call Me in the Morning
Promoting exercise is another way to avoid rampant sick days. A study by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that people who exercise as little as once a week in employee fitness programs report an average of nearly five fewer sick days per year.
And there is also the old-fashioned way to prevent sick days: money. Companies can offer attendance bonuses, sick leave incentives, and annual recognition programs.
Abusing the System
But, as Otish says, there are always a dedicated few who call in sick no matter what: "I'll call them players, people who play games with the system. They claim workers' comp, then they get on disability and they go back on workers' comp." Otish believes those workers account for a disproportionate amount of absenteeism. "We are trying to direct these people," he says. "We review their medical cases and direct them to the best healthcare providers we can find."
Managers ultimately have the authority to investigate abuses, deny sick leave, and take disciplinary action against offenders. There is no federal law requiring employers to give paid sick leave time. Employers must only provide unpaid sick leave if a worker is covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act or has a disability covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Yet you must be consistent and fair in the application of sick leave policies. Be sure that any action taken is in compliance with labor agreements and contracts. Otherwise, your headaches may just be beginning.
- See Is Good Communication More Important to Employees Than Better Benefits? for more information.
