Management Today - end of the sickie?

Firstly people will continue to get sick, just because we work from home doesn’t mean sickness will end, but what we’re actually like to see is an increase in presenteeism. We know that WFH increases presenteeism, with over 1 in 3 continuing to work from home whilst being unwell. Managers should never insist on people working whilst they are unwell, sick is indeed sick ! They should however continue to use existing ways to monitor “levels” of sickness with employees and take relevant and necessary action based on trends or patterns in order to continue to monitor and manage sickness effectively.

"The ability to work from home should be given the same respect and privilege as some one who works full time from the office. This means that when a WFH colleague is ill, they are ill and should be given time to recuperate; burn out at home is the same as in the office. In both cases, productivity should be the motivating factor in any management structure in dealing with employee behaviour and sickness and this needs to take place within the companies comms, policy and culture. Businesses currently navigating the new ‘future of work’, need to address their historical working practices and replace it with a more Mutable organisational structure. This will give employers a much higher productivity ratio and employees greater earning potential as they move toward Outcome based earnings (which is more likely to make sick days a thing of the past than WFH in a PAYE working model)."

Insisting that employees work from home when they are unwell eventually damages relationships, forces disengagement and contributes to overall poor work culture and that has long-term consequences for any employer. Putting a robust sickness policy in place would be a great first step, so that everyone involved clearly understands when working from home is the most appropriate thing to do. This needs to be carefully considered and involve key stakeholders to ensure it’s well communicated. The most productive businesses utilise relationships with their employees to understand what is best for everyone involved. Working from home is often seen as an opportunity for those that are feeling under the weather to recuperate in the comfort of their own home and not pass any unwanted viruses or seasonal bugs to colleagues. However, if the best thing is for the employee to rest or they been signed off sick to ensure recover happens that this should be treated very seriously and they should only return, either by working at home or the office, once they are fully recovered. As we approach Winter 2021/22, we’re encouraging employers to consider the wider implications of outbreaks at their offices and disruptions to our important economic infrastructure.