Construction Accounting Article -
Weakened States - The Plague of Presenteeism

Target Audience: Construction Companies, Construction Benefits Interest, Health Risks Interest

There’s little doubt that absenteeism can take its toll on any construction company’s productivity. But employees who come in to work when they aren’t feeling well — a phenomenon known as “presenteeism” — may pose an even greater risk.

In fact, presenteeism may account for up to 60% of employer health costs, according to a 2004 study by the Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. For more common conditions, such as allergies and headaches, the percentage may be even higher.

Why? Because illness leaves employees in weakened states, threatening any number of follies.

Costly slowdowns

Consider a carpenter who can typically frame a window in an hour. If he or she has a cold or the flu, the same task could take much longer to complete. Worse yet, other workers on the job may catch the carpenter’s illness and then become less productive themselves.

That can be costly for any employer, but, as a contractor, you may pay an even higher price. Construction is a high-risk undertaking under even the best conditions. Workers who are fighting illness or injury may have slower reflexes, diminished decision-making skills and a lack of concentration that make errors and accidents more likely.

The problem is convincing workers who don’t feel well to stay home. After all, it’s hard when workers don’t have paid sick days. For others, all paid time off — including sick days, vacation days and personal days — is lumped together. So the more sick days they take, the fewer vacation days they get.

Exacerbating the problem is the long-standing but unhealthy view that employees who come to work when they don’t feel well are somehow more dedicated or more important than those who call in sick. By the same token, some workers may fear they’ll be fired or disciplined for missing work.

Carrots, not sticks

So how do you get sick workers to stay home? Start by reviewing your disciplinary policies. If you penalize employees to control absenteeism, you may unwittingly be encouraging presenteeism. Instead, consider advising managers and supervisors to send workers home — with a kind word of reassurance — if they report to work sick.

In addition, develop a wellness program that includes a presenteeism policy that educates workers not only about the costs of this problem, but also about when it’s appropriate for them to stay home. People who have fevers or vomiting, for example, should stay home until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours.

Emphasize the safety risks associated with presenteeism, too. Someone who is taking an over-the-counter flu medication to stay on the job, for instance, could jeopardize other workers’ safety if he or she operates heavy equipment.

(If you’re a union contractor, you’ll need to consider these issues with your unions, perhaps during collective bargaining negotiations.)

Prevention = profit

As the cliché goes, prevention is the best medicine for presenteeism. Of course employees are going to get ill at some point — but if you want to meet your productivity and profit goals, encourage them to stay at home when they are.

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