Workplace presenteeism and
unplanned absenteeism – can we fix it?

For Chief People Officers and Chief Financial Officers, presenteeism and unplanned absenteeism continues to present challenges, without any winners.

Research shows that there is, however, something you can about it that will shift the dial positively for your organisation.

I read with great interest, two articles that recently appeared in HRD Australia magazine– both acknowledge the need for Australians to take proactive steps to manage mental wellbeing, and where this occurs how much less time off work is taken.

A gap that exists between the traditional Occupation Health approach and a more modern and proactive approach. Filling this gap saves $’000’s for a business and all stakeholders win.

The biggest challenge we face, as a business that specialises in pre absence earlier intervention, is getting past the well entrenched rehabilitation mindset and the current approach to absence in the workplace. Don’t get me wrong, Rehab is hugely important in getting people back to work with commendable results. That said, it is, by the very nature of what it delivers, part of a reactive, duty of care response to a workplace injury or illness, be that physical or psychological.

In this article, Early mental health support could save Australian economy $219m a year Liam Daly, Senior Economist at Cebr, said the scale of economic disruption tied to major life events is often underestimated by both individuals and organisations. “Life’s biggest moments, the joyful ones and the difficult ones alike, rarely stay confined to our personal lives. They follow us into work too, often in ways that are easy to underestimate,” Daly said. The research signals a clear opportunity for Australian employers to build mental health support into their workplace wellbeing strategies, particularly around life transitions that employees are likely to face at some point in their careers.

The second article, Australia sees ‘increase in absenteeism’ amid fuel crisis talks about employers across Australia reporting increasing levels of absenteeism in the wake of the fuel crisis due to the conflict in the Middle East, as the federal government is urged to take on a national response to address the problem. “Deep concern about the future is producing unintended and unforeseen consequences that are playing out in workplaces,” said Innes Willox, chief executive of the Ai Group, in a statement. “Employers are already reporting an increase in absenteeism among workers across the economy in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, retail, and care.”

An earlier intervention approach that collaborates with an organisation’s Employee Wellness team, the already in place EAP and the Rehab service, be that internal or through an Insurer, means engaging that missing puzzle piece; the part where understanding how a person’s response to a life event, may actually be the underlying driver for an impending or recent absence. In other words, that perceived mental health issue might not need to be medicalised at all.

Evidence shows that HCB Group pre absence early intervention can reduce unplanned absenteeism by up to 30%.

Why not reach out to the team HCB Australia or visit www.hcbgroup.com.au/ and explore how our unique approach can reduce absence in your organisation, improve operational outcomes, vastly improve customer service levels, and reduce the unnecessary costs associated with unplanned absenteeism.