Managing A Healthy Workplace

When was the last time someone at work called out due to illness? Most can say no less than a day or two ago. In fact, a recent poll that was cited by a Colorado television station showed that 38 percent of 1,000 people polled intentionally went to work ill – up to the point that they risked getting others sick in the process (Engelbart & Dahlke, 2019). This is further complicated when personnel don’t have available benefits or options to be able to get back to a healthy normal in as little time as possible. Hence, what is management to do when it comes to providing a healthy workplace? 

The Truth about Absenteeism
 
When viewing historical data, and regardless of the point in time, people will need to take time away from work to recover from illnesses – it is simply a fact. In the most recent survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, the annual absence rate for a full-time salaried worker is 2.9%. If one digs a little deeper, one can see that the percentages can vary anywhere from 2.1%, all the way up to 4.0% depending on the specific occupation. When looking at a standard calendar year and 2080 hours worked, that can amass to at least 41.6 hours to just over 80 work hours lost in a year. The ‘lost worktime rate’ is the more important statistic of the study. This focuses on illness exclusively. Though the average is about 1.5%, that also had a variance between 1.1% and 2.1% (2017). In short, absences are going to occur. However, there are strategies that can be put in place that can help to reduce these statistics slightly and help a business be more productive.
 
Strategies to Maintain A Healthy Workplace
 
Maintaining a healthy workplace is more than just requiring one to wash their hands after using the restroom each time they do so throughout the workday. It includes a number of behaviors that subordinates should already be doing, as well as some enforceable policies and procedures that should be put in place. However, management must be careful because any policy and procedure that is put in place needs to be accommodating for all, as well as be legal (Byrne, 2017). Listed below are some of the quickest and easiest strategies to implement at an office to promote and maintain a healthy work environment:
 

• Have clear policies and procedures in place when it applies to work absences:
  • This includes procedures of whom to call, when to attempt to call-in by, documentation requirements, discipline, and employer-provided resources for additional assistance (e.g. employee assistance plans).
  • These policies must be enforced fairly and consistently with all personnel regardless of rank in the company.
• Provide tangible support to help the employee(s) know they’re supported and to aid in their illness recovery.
  • This can be as simple as sending some flowers, a card signed by all in the office, or a phone call.
  • Though minor in nature, these can accelerate the healing process and help bring one back to work quicker.
• Give employees the option to work remotely or have flexible work schedules.
  • If they are not feeling the greatest, but still can be productive, give employees an option to work remotely.
  • Should there be insistence that they come into the office, offer opportunities for them to come in after-hours (or when fewer people are present).
• Converse with employees to assure them that their jobs are safe when they call in sick.
  • A lot of employees fear that their job is on the line, given that most states are ‘right-to-work,’ and they can be replaced for any reason with or without notice.
  • Provide reassurance that they are still employed by the company (unless their sickness is habitual which then requires a different conversation).
• Set time aside for ‘clean desk’ days.
  • Schedule time at least once a quarter for all personnel to scrub down their work spaces top-to-bottom, so that their immediate work environments are as clean as possible.
    • Note, this is above what cleaning crews often do (they usually just empty trash, clean restrooms, windows, and vacuum/mop floors).
  • Engrain this as a habit and show how the benefits of doing this results in less people getting sick because the office is cleaner.
• Encourage people that are sick to stay home.
  • This last suggestion may sound the craziest, but the less an illness is spread, the least amount of people are affected.
  • Viruses travels not only through the air, but also on anything an ill person touches (restroom door handle, elevator buttons, their desk, the copy machine, etc.).

 
As one can see, a lot of these suggestions require little or no additional investment for a company to set aside to execute these options. Though a lot of these are common sense, one would be surprised at just how often these aren’t done (Englehart & Dahlke, 2019; GenesisHealthSystems.com, 2019; Lis, 2019; McKelle, 2015; TimeTac.com, 2019; & Victor, 2017).
 
Conclusion
 
Illness, even with the most preventive measures, is something that all need to be prepared for in the workplace. Management needs to also be aware that policies and procedures in place encourage healthy behaviors both when people are healthy and sick. Companies don’t need to spend excessive amounts of resources in order to maintain a healthy environment. In truth, all it takes is some preventive measures and some encouraging words to get their ill employees back to health.

References
 

• Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey. Retrieved March 16, 2019 from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat47.htm#cps_eeann_abs_ft_occu_ind.f.1.
  
• Byrne, P. (2017). 10 tips for managing sickness absence. Retrieved March 16, 2019 from https://www.hrzone.com/community/blogs/peterbyrneesp/10-tips-for-managing-sickness-absence.
  
• Engelbart, D. & Dahlke, J. More people are going to work sick and spreading flue symptoms, doctors say. Retrieved March 16, 2019 from https://kdvr.com/2019/02/28/more-people-are-going-to-work-sick-and-spreading-flu-symptoms-doctors-say/.
  
• GenesisHealthSystems.com (2019). Workplace infection prevention. Retrieved March 16, 2019 from https://www.genesishealth.com/app/files/public/20362/infection_prevention_workplace.pdf.
  
• Lis, G. (2019). Top ten ways to reduce sick leave. Retrieved March 17, 2019 from https://www.rtwmatters.org/article/article.php?id=971.
  
• McKelle, E. (2015). What Going To Work When You’re Sick Says About You, According To Science. Retrieved March 17, 2019 from https://www.bustle.com/articles/122743-what-going-to-work-when-youre-sick-says-about-you-according-to-science.
  
• TimeTac.com (2019). How to reduce sickness absence in your business. Retrieved March 17, 2019 from https://www.timetac.com/en/blog/reduce-sickness-absence-business/.
  
• Victor, D. (2017). If You’re Sick, Stay Away From Work. If You Can’t, Here Is What Doctors Advise. Retrieved March 17, 2019 from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/health/working-sick.html.