Keeping staff healthy and happy is key, not only for retention and productivity but for the continued success of the business. Most leaders will agree with this statement but will often underestimate the impact of sickness on their organisations.
The two most common myths that business leaders let themselves believe about employee sickness in the workplace can end up significantly impacting profits.
Myth 1
Our Employees Don’t get Sick
SME and the private sector such as construction and manufacturing, report sick days at 4 days or less. This number is far below average employee sickness that are over 9 days for large corporate and public sector companies.
Do they somehow have far healthier workers than the other sectors?
Our research suggests no, they do not attract the healthiest people for their positions, but that the major reasons for this discrepancy is under reporting due to fear of losing your job, no pay during sick days and peer pressure.
With that in mind, supporting workplace wellness is just as important across all sectors.
Myth 2
I know the impact of sickness on my business
Only 22% of SMEs record or measure employee sickness levels within their company, this number increases to 37% for mid and 52% for large businesses.
This means that up to 78% of companies are not measuring employee sickness levels. How can businesses understand the impact of sickness and manage it, when so many are not recording it in the first place?
Sick leave itself in the UK costs on average £500 per employee every year, but very few companies consider and measure the impact of sickness on overall profits.
A sick employee isn’t just a day’s pay. It affects so many other areas within the company such as delayed projects, lost revenue, replacement workers, overtime etc. All these things add together to significantly affect profit and the bottom line.
Investing in workplace wellness, mental and physical health, doesn’t have to be expensive but can have significant ROI over the long-term. Check out our calculator to find out how much you could save.
DocHQ Ltd is a Health Tech company improving choices. We help you connect efficiently to health support and advice whether you are at home, work or travelling. See our website for our services or call us on 0330 088 0645.
