Almost two working weeks are lost each year due to presenteeism, costing the economy £11 billion per year in lost productivity, according to new research by economic consultancy WPI Economics.
Commissioned by employee benefits provider Unum UK, the survey of more than 4,000 UK employees revealed that unhappy employees on average spend nine days working a year even though they are unwell and unable to perform effectively.
Those who are happy at work reported less than four days of presenteeism per year, which is more than half the number of days their unhappy counterparts experienced. Just 13% of unhappy staff said they are very productive at work.
Half (50%) admitted they do not have good physical wellbeing, with almost the same (48%) not having good mental wellbeing. Two-thirds (66%) said they do not have good financial wellbeing.
Almost three in five (58%), the equivalent to 16.4 million people, would take less time off work and be more productive if their employer enhanced the health and wellbeing services available to them, while 80% are more productive when they are healthy and happy.
The research suggested that more access to services to improve health and wellbeing at work and halving the number of unhappy employees could see employers collectively benefit by £6.4 billion a year through reduced lost output from sickness absence and presenteeism, and by £7.3 billion from increased productivity.
Jane Hulme, HR director at Unum UK, said: “Spotting the signs of a struggling employee and intervening early remains the best way to prevent presenteeism, which can potentially lead to absenteeism. Whether managers see their employees every working day or not, it can be difficult to identify emerging concerns and act quickly to offer support, so a strong mental health and wellbeing policy is a must.
“Encourage open conversations about wellbeing, mental health and provide information about the support available. It’s also important to routinely monitor and understand any current health concerns employees have by reviewing available information such as absence trends, data from employee assistance programmes and take up of employee benefits.”