You might be thinking that you have an absenteeism problem in the workplace due to the amount of sick leave that your team might be taking. However, it’s often the case that business owners overestimate the number of times people will “pull a sickie” to get out of work simply because they don’t want to come in, rather than because there is something really keeping them off.
Improve hygiene in the workplace
Most sick days will come during specific times of the year, those times when the cold, the flu, or some other seasonal viral thing is passing around. To that end, the best thing that you can do is make sure that anyone who is symptomatic does not come into work and that everyone in the workplace does their part to keep bugs from spreading. Many workplaces are installing hand sanitizing stations and hiring commercial cleaning contractors to manage levels of cleanliness and hygiene in the workplace.
Mind air quality and environmental health
It’s not all about the contamination and potential risk that you can see, you have to mind those invisible risks, as well. Any office can begin to experience poor air quality due to the breakdown of ventilation or the buildup of dust and allergens. Industrials spaces are going to need even more attention in this regard, and teams like Clean Air UK may be able to help you tackle it. Restoring air quality can help people avoid what is commonly known as “sick building syndrome,” a leading cause of people falling sick even when there isn’t something going around.
Invest in comfortable working spaces
Your team may not always tell you when it’s the case, but sometimes it’s a physical ailment of the musculoskeletal system that’s affecting their ability to work. Most common in the workplace is that of back pain. Ergonomic furniture such as supporting chairs and standing desks from Flexispot should be considered a mandatory expense for the office. Otherwise, back pain and other such injuries are going to affect your workers. You need to make sure that people working at a desk are given the opportunity (or even the command) to take breaks and stretch their legs from them, too.
Don’t neglect stress
Sometimes, it’s pure stress that keeps workers out of the workplace. However, this doesn’t mean that they’re skiving. Stress makes people sick, it makes them nervous, unable to concentrate, and can lead to anxiety issues, all of which need to be taken very seriously. You need to have an organised approach to tackling stress at work, such as by making sure you’re not letting people overload themselves with overtime, helping them better manage their workloads, and having frequent talks about work-life balance. Of course, providing good compensation for labour is going to help them be more confident about taking the time they need for themselves, too.
It’s important to make sure that you have clear policies regarding any work absences and make it easy for your team to notify their managers or you as to when they’re taking time off. However, getting to the root causes can also help reduce sick days throughout the year too.
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Nice post! Since the pandemic has set in, I have been working remotely most of the time from my home. I usually work in my beautiful balcony that opens up to a beautiful green forest. I think this is the best workplace I ever had 🙂
John Gatesby recently posted…Coronavirus Induces Oxidative Stress Leading to Autonomic Dysfunction – Part 5
You made a good point about workspace! Ergonomic furniture is essential for comfortable working, indeed. Although such items as supporting chairs and so forth can be pretty expensive, they are definitely worth the investment.
Thank you for reminding us how important indoor air quality is! Poor indoor air quality is bad for our health and can cause ilments such as respiratory diseases, fatigue, headaches and even heart problems. Fortunately, there are some sure ways to improve indoor air quality. First of all, I would recommend cleaning or replacing air conditioner filters. Dirty filters of HVAC systems are the leading cause of poor air quality at home. It would be best if you also cleaned air ducts – they accumulate lots of dust ad allergens.
As for poor air quality, the most common cause of it is dirty air conditioner filters. They need to be cleaned at least once every two months. If there are lots of people in your office, you should aim to do it more often.