As spring turns to summer and temperatures begin to soar, so too will employee absenteeism.
Indeed, based on figures reported in the “Summer Absenteeism” survey conducted by Harris
Interactive in 2007, it is likely that almost 40% of full time workers will call in ‘sick’ to enjoy a day
in the sun. It is also very likely that a number of full time workers will take time off to enjoy one
or more of the major sporting events that will occur during the coming months. Surveys indicate
that sporting events such as the Football World Cup and the European Championships have an
observable effect on employee absence. The exact reasons remain unclear, but it doesn’t take
much imagination to picture people absent from their workplace to ensure they are in front of
their screens for the 3pm kick-off or to recover in bed from post victory celebrations.
So, what is the cost to organisations? With employees feigning sickness to enjoy a summer’s day
or a sporting event, the costs to organisations are obvious. Sick leave costs the UK economy on
average £13.4 billion a year and it must be frustrating for employers to learn that some of this is
due to employees faking it. With temperatures set to rise and sporting events such as Euro 2008
and the Olympics on the agenda, employers need to start making plans to cope with the mystery
“disease” epidemics that may sweep their workforce. So what should employers do? Plans may
already be underway to warn and threaten staff about taking suspect sick days on sunny Fridays
or during major sporting events. Often the symptoms of summer sickness are addressed with
tactics including communicating to staff that attendance levels will be monitored and that sickness
absences will be investigated during this period. In other words, heavy handed techniques borne
out of bad experiences. But do these techniques actually work? Or do they just antagonise
employees? More importantly, is there another way?
The answer may well lie in flexible working. In other words, giving workers autonomy to decide
when they put in their working hours. For instance, allowing them to start and finish work earlier
so they can enjoy a late afternoon in the sun. The principle behind this is that people will still put
in the hours they are contracted to do, but at a time that suits both their preferences and the
company’s needs. Allowing people to work flexibly may mean that rather than feigning illness to
enjoy a live football match, an employee could arrange their working hours around the match.
For example, they could work at home on the day of the match, start at 7am and finish at 3pm.
This means they put in the same amount of hours but the employer doesn’t lose out. In fact,
research suggests that employees who perceive that they have flexibility in both the timing and
location of their work are actually more likely to put in longer hours than those who feel they
have less flexibility. In other words, providing flexible working can actually mean employers get
more out of their workforce than they would if they demanded their presence at the office from 9
till 5.
So what can organisations do to cure the sickness that prevails on sunny and sporting days?
- One of the major problems associated with sickness absence is that organisations can not
plan for it and therefore can often be stuck for cover in the workplace. A simple thing
organisations could do therefore is to send out reminders to staff that annual leave needs to
be booked for sporting events, well in advance.
- Alternatively, organisations could offer employees the chance to work at home and
encourage employees to schedule their work around sporting or other summer events. To
this end, employers could avoid the costs associated with unplanned absenteeism.
Organisations would, however, need to be clear about the work expected from employees
when working at home.
- If working from home is not an option, organisations could offer flexible working hours in the
workplace to allow for people arriving later than 9am or leaving earlier than 5pm. However, if
organisations choose this option, core hours and adequate cover may need to be agreed to
ensure services or operations are not unduly affected.
- If all else fails, organisations could offer the opportunity and facilities to watch sporting events
at work. This could also increase feelings of camaraderie amongst staff.
By offering flexible working options to employees, organisations give people less of a reason to
feign illness. Moreover, employees are likely to feel more positive towards their employer and
may even work longer hours. So, rather than worrying about how to treat the symptoms of
summer sickness, employers should instead seek to find the cure; and with flexible working,
summer sickness may start to become an epidemic of the past.
