National Sickie Day 2020 – Why disengaged employees are more likely to ‘pull a sickie’
With National Sickie Day officially on Monday 3rd February 2020, many employers faced empty offices as disengaged employees skipped work. Did you notice a difference in employee attendance this year?
There are many theories as to why the first Monday in February has previously had the highest number of reported absences from work, with Mondays in general being the worst day for employee absence according to ELAS*.
One theory is it’s the first payday weekend since Christmas, so many will be out at the weekend celebrating a bit too hard. Another theory is that January is the month for reflecting on our career goals and many will be ‘pulling a sickie’ to attend an interview.
Top reasons why employees leave their job
Here are the top five reasons** employees cite for leaving their job:
Low pay
Poor management
Feeling undervalued
No career progression
Long working hours
Have you considered offering ‘Duvet Days’?
Some companies offer ‘duvet days’ for this reason to promote a culture of honesty and give employees on average four days a year to use as a ‘duvet day’. This means that they can take a day off at short notice, without needing to fathom an excuse. Another reason for introducing days like this is to combat stress and help employees be more productive when they are at work.
We are hearing more and more that employees value their work life balance and mental wellbeing more than money.
We are living in a society where there is a lot of pressure to be ‘on call’ 24/7 with technology instantly connect employees to their work via email or calls, no matter where they are.
Employees are becoming much more aware of the negative impact being overworked has on their personal and family life, as well as their mental health.
How to improve engagement as an employer
Here are five ways employers can improve engagement and mental health within their workplace:
1. Total Reward Statements – It isn’t all about pay – make sure you make it clear to your employees the other benefits they get from the company and what monetary value they have, as well as positive impact on their life.
2. Work Life Balance – This is such an important one today. Ensure you give your employees opportunities to work from home, have flexible working hours and that they aren’t pressured to be on call 24/7.
3. Employee value – Make sure your employees feel valued. There are so many ways to do this and employee benefits is one way. It could also be a simple as a ‘thank you’ or special recognition for a job well done.
4. Good Management – Educate your management through great communications, training and a positive culture. A good manager can make all the difference to employee retention and productivity.
5. Focus groups – If you feel like you are struggling to get to the root cause of your employee absence or retention, why not consider running focus groups to find out what your employees are really thinking. This will give you great insight to make improvements for the future.
* www.elas.uk.com
** IIP survey