Sick leave is a hard cost many companies choose to absorb, but if you’re noticing the amount of absenteeism getting higher, there is a cause for concern. Take a look at what might be causing excessive employee sick days.
Is there an underlying issue?
Everyone feels under the weather at some point, but if you’re noticing a steady increase in the number of sick leave days your team members are taking, it might be a sign there’s an underlying issue you need to immediately address.
Stress could be the culprit
Sick leave is also a direct result from excessive stress. In fact, 40% of Canadians suffer from workplace stress. Most of those people feel overworked. Balance is important for you and your people. You have to put procedures into place to help find the checks and balances for workloads.
Other issues to consider
Other issues that cause stress include: tight deadlines, changes in the organization or in procedures, job insecurity, lack of autonomy, lack of training, or a lack of proper resources. It takes regular check-ins and a supportive environment to uncover the truths behind the stress your employees might be feeling, which brings us to the next point.
Have you considered your corporate culture?
A poor culture is another reason people take sick leave. Dealing with office politics, disputes with coworkers and a generally unsupportive culture creates an office environment that’s more like a battlefield – unpredictable and bound to blow up at some point. Addressing cultural issues is a must.
Bullying, a big one
One specific sign of a poor workplace culture is workplace bullying and harassment, which is a big cause for sick leave. It affects mental health and motivation, not to mention it quickly adds to stress levels, compounding the need to take sick leave. It’s important to develop a culture of respect and zero tolerance for any type of harassment.
This gives you a place to start to reduce the number of sick days taken in your company. Of course, taking action to expose other potential issues is also a wise decision.
We’d like to help you with that and at no cost to you.
We offer a survey that will uncover ongoing workplace problems. That way you can proactively build a more positive work culture. Take the Nexlevel Challenge today and close the gaps in your business!
