While nobody wants to be sick, employee sick days can have a profoundly negative impact on your business.
For example, they often result in a drop in operational efficiency, whether tasks are simply going unfinished or other employees are working to pick up the slack left behind by an absent colleague. Conversely, working to reduce employee sick days can boost productivity while also increasing sales and revenue.
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Fortunately, while you cannot entirely prevent sickness and absenteeism, there are certain steps that you can take to reduce the number of sick days taken by your employees as a whole!
- Take workplace health and safety seriously. One of the easiest ways to prevent employee sick days is by ensuring that you maintain a healthy, safe, and clean working environment. After all, this ensures that your team is less likely to get sick when coming to work. For example, if you run a factory or warehouse, you should be sure to invest in Dust extraction equipment, which can improve indoor air quality and prevent the development of respiratory issues.
- Encourage your team to take time off when necessary. While this may seem counterproductive in a guide built around reducing absenteeism, it is important that you do not create the kind of working culture where employees feel ashamed or guilty about taking time off. After all, not only does working while sick result in a slower output and more mistakes, but it could also mean they’re making those around them sick, too. Furthermore, in failing to address their health issues, they are likely to become even sicker, meaning they’ll need much more time off than they would have required initially.
- Develop an employee wellness plan. There are many reasons why your employees may receive a sick note or need to take time off – and it is important to remember that sickness is not always physical. For example, you may find that members of your team require time away to care for their mental health. However, you can work to reduce the necessity of this by developing an employee wellness plan that caters to their emotional needs. For example, you could provide them with access to therapy or counselling services that allow them to develop healthy coping mechanisms and take control over their mental health.
- Prioritize a healthy work-life balance. Encouraging your team to develop a healthy work-life balance can also help to reduce sick days, as it means they are far less likely to feel exhausted or worn down. Again, there are many different ways in which you can go about this task. For example, you should start by leading by example. Don’t work overtime unless it is absolutely necessary, and get into the habit of turning off your work phone outside of working hours.
You should also encourage your team to stick to a consistent sleep schedule, as this can boost their immunity and make it easier for them to fight off sickness. In addition to this, healthy sleeping patterns can also help your team to work more productively.
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