So you have a wellness program… But are you missing the #1 most important wellness component of all?
Hillary Clinton fainted this past weekend during the 9/11 ceremony. Her explanation for this changed from dehydration to pneumonia to dehydration again.
Deny, deny, deny. Despite the video clips taken on her abrupt leave during the ceremony proved evidence her state of ill-being. Why can’t she simply admit the fact that she was sick?
Oh yes. Because her employers, aka the American people in her case, would disapprove of her fragility and under dedication to serving the country.
Sound familiar? That’s because it is a daily problem happening across all workplaces in North America.
Modern society welcomes presenteeism, the phenomenon of showing up at work at all costs. Although the exact monetary value of lost productivity due to presenteeism is difficult to predict, we all know that it brings work culture down. No one likes to feel like they have to work through the agony of being sick. It breeds antagonism and resentment at the workplace.
145 countries around the world offer paid sick leave. The WHO have quantified the positive effects of paid sick leave on worker productivity as well as disease control.
Corporate wellness is increasingly recognized as an important prerequisite for a thriving company. And though this is all and well, perhaps we should all take the opportunity of this renewed awareness by affirming the culture that it’s OK to not come to work when sick.
Great Place To Work deems that a great workplace provides a culture where employees TRUST the people they work for, have PRIDE in what they do, and ENJOY the people they work with.
With this in mind, we’d say that a good place to start is to let your employees know that you support their rest when sick. This builds trust, pride, and admiration for their workplace, the three parts that build the top 100 list companies to work for.
The best part? No fancy gadgets or big budgets required. Just some companionship and good old human interaction.
