National Sickie Day?

Hot on the heels of Blue Monday - see Get Rid of Monday Blues Forever - comes 'National Sickie Day'.

February 1st is reputed to be a day of extremely high staff absence as people struggle at the hands of winter illnesses, fatigue, uninspiring weather and seasonal mood swings.

So what can businesses do to minimise the likelihood of employees favouring staying at home over coming into the office?

We are in the fortunate position of being able to visit many different organisations and observe what makes a productive and dynamic office environment that people want to spend time in.

Here are three aspects of successful organisations that stand out:

1) Energy

People want to spend time in an environment that energises them. An office that is a hive of productive activity encourages employees in each day. An atmosphere of lethargy will quickly turn them away.

2) Knowledge

Most people find it stimulating to learn and develop themselves. If staff leave each day feeling that they've learnt something new they'll not only make sure they don't miss a day at work, but they'll also arrive each day with a positive and motivated mindset.

3) Inspiration

People appreciate spending time in inspiring surroundings, interacting with like-minded people, sharing a common purpose and working on projects that have an impact.

So if you'd like to ensure that your staff are always motivated to show up for work and give 100% while they're there, take a look around and see what you can do to improve in these three areas. Think about how you can make your office a great place to work and you'll have no problem attracting great people, day in, day out.

If you'd like further inspiration on how keeping your colleagues fit and healthy will help reduce absenteeism, take a look at this post: How Fit is Your Office

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Miserable call centre staff take the most sick days

As far as jobs go, it can be very stressful dealing with irate customers, dull having to make the same call minute after minute following a script and generally a little soul destroying having to cold call people as they sit down for dinner. So it comes as no surprise then that call centre workers take the most days off sick according to new research. What I did find fascinating though is that

some call centres will go through 100% staff turnover each year! 100%. Now if that isn't an indicator of a job that no one really wants I don't know what is. With stats like that, perhaps it's impossible to improve life at work for these people - after all the pay is lousy and the perks are non existent. 

The problem I think with call centre work is being treated and received like a machine. You're never really treated as a person and your virtual anonymity makes it easier for customers to lose their tempers and shout. Also, your responsibilities are reduced to targets and numbers on a computer screen - not happy people smiling at you or getting to see the fruits of your labour. 

A bit of a dog's life really. 

It's interesting then that the jobs that have the lowest levels of sick days are those with the highest responsibilities - air traffic controllers and pilots.

Oh, and train drivers too - but I think that may be more related to the fact that they get over 37 days holiday a year.

Read more on this article here.

So when was the last time you called in sick?


Photograph by vlima.com (flickr)

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Office life is getting tense - lighten yours up

It's impossible at the moment to switch on the news without hearing about banks closing, mortgage houses collapsing and doom, doom and more gloom where money and the future is concerned.

This is bound to effect the attitude people have to work and employees can start to look around for safer bets. Staff turnover is always higher than any organisation would like but it's costly too. Now is the time to be motivating staff to feel happy and secure where they are and incentivising them to choose to stay put rather than be tempted elsewhere. But how can you do this without throwing more money at the situation? Remember, pay rises don't always get loyalty.

There are many great ways to make employees feel valued and wanted by an organisation and sometimes, it's easy to miss the point and just give a small pay rise or a change of job title. If you're looking for something that will cost you less but inject your business with a bit of buzz, why not try one or all of the following:

1. Wellness Program - a heath, fitness and relaxation program offered to staff is a great way of telling them you value their well being, you want them to be less stressed and you want them to have fun with their colleagues whilst achieving a great personal health goal they may have. Anything from yoga classes to relaxation sessions, running club to team football. These perks will always leave your staff feeling indulged and valued. Find out how to organise events like these for your teams.

2. Get Flexible - Work and Life work well together when they are balanced but when one demands too much at the cost of the other, the individual caught in the middle always suffers. Why not allow staff to work from home once a week with clearly set out targets and a lot of trust. This change can achieve staff loyalty in next to no time and is usually rewarded with hard work - not slacking. Review this each month so both parties know it is working.

3. Start Listening - personal Development Reviews are sometimes ignored by companies but it is the only official time that employees feel listened to so start doing them regularly and make sure issues and gripes get listened to an acknowledged. When employees leave companies, it is often because they feel like a number. Address that issue once and for all by being pro-active. You'll gain their respect.

Photograph by The Flooz (flickr)

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