When workers ‘go missing’ on the job

According to a global survey, more than 60 percent of the workforce is “not engaged” in their jobs.

“Presenteeism” is spreading far and wide across the globe and is a result of disengaged employees who present themselves at work, but don’t actually complete or achieve anything.

According to Gallup’s global workplace survey, more than 60 percent of the workforce is “not engaged”.

People might be doing their jobs, but they are not inclined to give anything extra. Even worse, another 24 percent are “actively disengaged” and are seen as discouraging their co-workers’ success.

Combined with presenteeism, depression and anxiety are now the leading causes of long-term sickness and absence from modern workplaces. The direct cost of poor health is estimated at about 15 percent of payroll whereas presenteeism costs even more.

Combined, direct health care and the cost of productivity lost to presenteeism can total 35 percent of salaries. Research shows that happy, healthy and engaged employees produce more and cost less, says Travis Imbralio, operations director at workspace specialist firm, Giant Leap. “Employees with high levels of well-being cost their employers less, are more productive and more engaged in their work. Eight different studies by organisations including Harvard Business Review, World Economic Forum and the American Journal of Health Promotion, showed a return on investment of wellness programmes of between 144 and 3 000 percent.”

Seen as a holistic approach to creating high performance organisations through establishing the right workplace environments and surroundings to create employee engagement, workplace well-being relates to all aspects of the work life.

The World Health Organisation defines “health” as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Well-being is connected to physical health and wellness but primarily emphasises the social and psychological dimensions of the workplace, workforce, and the work people. Imbralio says that local corporates are now waking-up to employee well-being and are beginning to see the benefits.

“The reason for this is that unlike other resources, such as buildings, technology and investments, people have a choice about who they work for, how much they give to their jobs and how they influence the staff and employees around them. There’s still a lot of work to be done though, and our research and intelligence arm, Know More SA, has local statistics that lean towards this. The most significant one is that 41 percent of SA employees feel their buildings support workplace well-being, yet so little actually do,” says Imbralio.

“When implementing workplace well-being, employees’ physiological and safety needs should serve as the foundation. These are primarily related to the physical aspects of work and wellness, such as adequate lighting, temperature, acoustics, and privacy. Far too often employees become extremely dissatisfied and irritated when these simple yet basic needs are not addressed. However, even once these needs are met, this does not create total fulfilment.”

From indoor gyms to laundry services, catering and yoga rooms, the list for improving workplace well-being is endless, but doesn’t always have to come with an expensive price tag. Imbralio provides some cost-effective solutions for companies to consider when implementing well-being.

Make sure your workplace has plenty of windows to provide natural light. Allow for flexible working hours: employees with flexible work schedules report greater satisfaction, less absenteeism and overall higher productivity. Add colour: colours can easily change moods and affect productivity.

Colours such as blue or green can lead to higher contentment and productivity, whereas red increases alertness and attention to detail.

Keep the noise down: this would be another tip that seems obvious, but scientists have discovered just how damaging excess noise can be to workplace productivity. Keep moving: stimulating movement at work helps to make employees healthier, happier and more alert.

This can be anything that gets people out of a typical seated position to breaks, and standing desks can be a good investment.

Promote healthy eating: supplying the right snacks can improve mental state and help staff to be more productive.

“When companies improve employee well-being, they create more engaging places to work and greater returns for the company as a whole. As SA corporates wake-up and smell the workplace benefits, it’s evident they realise that well-being is fast gaining attention, and for good reasons.

“To remain competitive, companies will need to focus their efforts on ensuring the sustainability of their most important assets, their staff,” says Imbralio.

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