According to CIPD research, 90% of HR people surveyed said they had witnessed people coming to work when they really should have stayed at home because of illness. 

 

It has earned its own name – “Presenteeism”. But is it really a problem? 

 

Surely the point of a good absence management process is to make people think hard about taking time off sick, and to encourage them to come to work if they are able? To reduce overall absences. And if that means people come to work when they might have taken the day off, that’s all for the good…isn’t it? 

How often do you have 1:1 discussions with your team about their performance?  

 

Here's why you really should make the time.  

Virtually every organisation has a list of behaviours that are considered to be “gross misconduct”. 

 

Gross misconduct is something considered so serious that it strikes at the heart of the contract of employment, and effectively tears it up. So serious that an employee can be dismissed, without warning or notice, even for a first offence. 

 

So here’s a question for you. 

Managers often ask me what the secret is to improving employee performance. Usually, I imagine, in the hope that there is something about the employee that can be "fixed". Sometimes those managers are surprised to find out that the answer may be a bit closer to home! Here are 5 mistakes people managers regularly make, that can have a serious impact on employee motivation and performance. 

How many hours have you spent in unproductive meetings this week? 

 

A YouGov poll in 2015 suggested that 49% of UK employees waste time in meetings every week, with distracted employees, waffling, lack of agenda and failing to reach decisions being particular bugbears. Here are a few of our top tips for more effective meetings. 

Joe’s wife has cancer. She has frequent hospital appointments and days when she feels so ill she needs someone at home to care for her, change her clothes and bedding, and help her stay clean and hydrated. Joe has no idea whether the treatment will be successful, or how he will support his wife and children if he loses his job. 

 

What makes the difference between a workplace you want to stay in, and a workplace you can’t wait to leave? 

 

You might think that money and perks can make a bad job bearable, but most motivation theories tell us that financial benefits are only a short-term motivator. 

Does your organisation have a long hours culture? According to the TUC, the number of workers in the East Midlands who are regularly working more than 48 hours a week has risen by 18% since 2010. And this week the CIPD issued their 2015 Absence Management Survey which found that 31% of employers (and particularly those with long hours cultures) have seen an increase in ‘presenteeism’ - people coming to work when they are genuinely unwell due to fear their job may be at risk if they take time off. 

You’ve stayed late at work to finish an important task in time for a major deadline. You’ve been working long hours all week to make sure the work is completed properly, alongside your “day job”. As the last action is completed, you feel the most amazing sense of relief and achievement. You’ve done it. Against all the odds, you have succeeded. 

 

You walk over to your manager’s desk to share the happy news. And your manager says...nothing. 

Do you have a parent or grandparent still alive? Or a partner or sibling? What will happen if one of your loved ones becomes too ill or frail to look after themselves? 

 

Until it happens, most of us would probably prefer not to think about it. But imagine for a moment that one day, your previously independent relative can’t get out of bed unaided, or walk to the bathroom alone, or prepare a meal. Perhaps they are unsteady on their feet, and at risk of a fall. Perhaps their condition, or the medication used to treat it, makes them confused and forgetful. They are likely to need transporting to medical appointments, and help with day-to-day tasks such as shopping, cleaning and paying their bills.