As we pointed out last year, the problem of presenteeism has been on the rise. However, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Liz Truss, the Women and Equalities Minister, has stated that she wants to see a cultural shift away from presenteeism, and towards more flexible working.
Background
Despite calls from many for the problem of presenteeism to finally be tackled, a recent study has found that far from there being a culture shift away from presenteeism, it remains on the increase.
A new study by Love Energy Savings found that in excess of 80% of British workers now work during periods when they are sick, with an astonishing 92% of 18-24-year-olds doing so. Just 24% of employees had observed the phenomenon in their workplace back in 2010. The main reason cited for working whilst unwell was people not wanting to let down their team (21%), with pressure from the employer pointed to by 10%
Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), also found that just 32% of private sector companies are taking steps to actively address the issue.
The Centre for Mental Health estimate that presenteeism now costs the UK economy £15.1 billion per annum. That is equivalent to 1 months funding for the job retention/furlough scheme.
Presenteeism Risks A Second Wave Of The Coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the pressing need to encourage a culture shift away from presenteeism. As the lockdown is slowly eased and people start to return to work, the last thing this country needs is workers turning up for work ill, especially where they may have the coronavirus, as that may trigger a second wave of cases. Indeed, presenteeism will almost certainly have contributed to the first wave by fueling the spread of the virus prior to the lockdown.
Nevertheless, as a sign of just how disturbingly culturally ingrained presenteeism is amongst workers, recent research found that a third of workers would cover up their illness, even if they were aware of having coronavirus symptoms
Government To Encourage Shift Away From Presenteeism
The Women and Equalities Minister, Liz Truss, told the Women and Equalities Committee on the 22nd April 2020, that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, their needs to be a cultural shift away from presenteeism, and towards flexible working. She said "I think that we shouldn't miss the opportunity that we've seen now, of people being able to work more flexibly, and actually implement that in the workplace. I'm also interested in the idea of how we can change the culture of offices to move away from presenteeism to move towards more flexible working, and to integrate families more in the lives we'll lead. I think people are more open about the role of family life in the workplace than they were before and I think that's a positive change. I think previously it was something that senior executives felt they had to hide away."
