As the seasons change, many British will experience colds, coughs and flus in the coming weeks.
Working while sick, otherwise known as the presence, costs employers about 24 billion pounds sterling per year, according to Deloitte, due to the reduction of productivity, prolonged diseases and leaving employees to travel a reduced capacity.
Brenig Moore, expert in public health at the workplace training supplier, AstatisTakes an urgent warning to employers and companies when we enter a season of increased diseases among the employees.
“Too many employees still feel in a hurry to pass the diseases, whether it is a generic winter cold or something more serious. The problem is that the presence of presentism does not only affect the individual; Employers also pay much more than if the employee had to take a few days off to rest and recover. Changing the culture around sick leave is always one of the simplest tasks that an employer can do, but the most effective. ”
Brenig adds five actions that all employers and businesses must now take as the flu season slips on us.
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Examine sick leave policies
“You must make sure that all absence policies are favorable and flexible, and clearly indicate that short -term diseases are preferable to long -term reduced performance. It is worth redistributing policy to staff members to find out where to find it, what he says and what your business's position is on the disease.
It is also important to remind people who work at home that the simple fact that they are at home, not to infect the rest of the office, does not mean that they are not entitled to a few days of rest to ensure that they return in combat. Many people see “working at home” and “working from bed” as their time to rest, when they really need to go out. »»
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Drive by example
“Managers and senior executives should model healthy workplace behavior by taking leave when they are bad.
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Encourage open conversations on mental health
“Training line managers to recognize the first signs of stress, anxiety and exhaustion Mental health training resources available Online, and it is worth sharing some of these employees and reminding them that leaders are there to help the workload and stress. »»
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Small cultural changes
“Remind the employees that they need good rest and vital screen breaks while working. You can, and should you implement small cultural changes such as encouragement of lunch breaks, digital deactivation after hours and not feel obliged to respond to emails once they have closed their laptop for the day. All these elements can make huge differences in a person's professional life. ”
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Invest in well-being in the workplace
“From training to mental health care for employee assistance programs, proactive support reduces stigma and shows their staff that well-being is important. If your HR professional has undergone mental health training, then they could also give this other employees.
For more information on mental health at the workplace, Astutut analyzed the Burnout 2025 report, as well as Steve Terry's comments: https://www.astutis.com/astutis-hub/blog/mental-health–burnout-report-2025
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