Company Absences High? Here's What's Going On

March 6, 2017

 
Company absences can be a real issue for any business that is opening to reach the top of the market. If employees are constantly off sick, then it’s always going to be difficult to reach high levels of productivity. There are various factors that can impact absences in business. For instance, did you know that in the UK absences spike every year on the day after the super bowl. The match is on so late that people don’t have the energy to get up the next morning. Surveys have even shown that people stay off in large crowds during the release of a new video game or movie. However, these are random occurrences and if absences regularly plague your business something else might be going on.
Low Hygiene Levels
It’s possible that absences in your business are high because there is low levels of hygiene in the office. You don’t want to see the report on the percentage of male employees who wash their hands when using the restroom. If hygiene levels are low illness and infection are going to spread through your staff and employees far more regularly. As such, it might be worth putting up signs and setting up sanitation areas to guarantee better hygiene levels.
You may also want to think about upgrading your rest room with wash room services. Washroom services can be used to ensure that you have the absolute best hygiene level in your office and that there is no chance the room itself could be responsible for poor hygiene levels. Upgrade your washroom, and you’re sure to see an impact on absence levels.
High Stress
It’s possible that your absences might not be due to illness at all. Instead, it’s more about how stressed your employees feel. Employees who are stressed are prone to taking more days off work. They want to avoid situations that are causing them difficulty. To avoid this, you should ensure that employees have someone they can talk to when they are feeling stressed. You may want to use the services of a specialist HR team. They can regularly monitor and check on your employees to ensure that there is no issue that might lead to absences.
You might also want to sit down and talk to employees yourself. By having an open door policy, you can make sure employees feel as though they can come to you with any work-related issues that they may have. If there is a problem, you will then be able to tackle it together before they stop coming into work.
Health And Safety
Finally, you do need to think about health and safety. Every year thousands of employees are off sick because of accidents in the workplace. Be aware that as an employer, you have a responsibility to keep your workers safe on the job. This means that you do need to checking your office for any safety issues and fixing them accordingly. Don’t forget if an employee is injured you don’t just need to worry about losing their work. You might also be held accountable for the accident.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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