Too busy for a sick day?

Gone are the days of high absenteeism going unchecked. Companies are now clamping down so much on days off sick that a new survey has revealed that three quarters of employees still turn up for work when they could legitimately have stayed home sick.

The main causes of this are fears of letting colleagues deal with the workload, too much work piling up on your desk if you're not there and the fear of getting a bad record at work for absenteeism. Either way, sick people in offices ....where will this lead?

The report claims that the majority of us, some 71% still go into the office when we are unwell. The research also revealed that:

People working in marketing, advertising and PR were most likely to go into work if they were feeling unwell, whereas those in the charity sector and graduate trainees were least likely to soldier on. Women were more likely than men to go into the office if they were ill.

What this tells me is that the amount you are paid could be linked to your sense of obligation to the job (charity work and graduate trainees are not normally high earners), money can buy a sense of loyalty and that women appear to be more wary of being judged so ignore their poor health.

Either way, it is very frustrating to be sitting next to a clearly unwell person in the office who is kindly sharing their germs with you but perhaps now you can see why they're there.

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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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How to squeeze in a 5 mile walk without leaving the office

I work from home and I also have a gym membership. I get to the gym at least 3 times a week and manage to go running at least twice a week but some weeks are so busy, I don't get the time to work out and this makes me feel stressed. I always perform better when I exercise and work more efficiently and so a few months ago, I started walking whilst talking and even tested it out on a pedometer to see how far I was going. I have never looked back. but what if you could walk 5 miles without leaving your desk? Sounds good doesn't it?

Here's how you can squeeze in 5 miles of walking into your day - saves going to the gym after work and means that you'll get fit, deal with stress and stay healthy without having to travel to the gym.

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Why your boss should feed you well

Food and mood and very tightly bound.

Eat junk food and you feel rubbish 10 minutes later; eat healthily and you feel energized and virtuous. So is it any wonder that eating badly when you're in the office can impact on how you feel for the rest of the day and overall? You are only as good as the fuel you run on and this is something a lot of businesses can help out with if they want to get the best performance out of their employees.

So what can organisations do to make it easier for employees to stay healthy and fired up whilst in the office?


We all know what's good for us (deep down) but sometimes, getting caught out is a great excuse for eating poorly. 'I didn't have the time to get anything so I just grabbed a chocolate bar'. 'These crisps are the only thing they had in the vending machine so I'll make do till I have dinner tonight' or 'I haven't got time to go out for something so I'll just have another coffee to keep me going'.

But what if your boss made it easier for you? There's a great reason for them to do so with new figures revealing that 97 million working days are lost a year in the UK because of employees poor eating habits. Here are some ideas to feed back to them and they may just get them thinking....

1. Fruit bowl
A large fruit bowl which is replenished daily for all the office to eat - not just decorative green apples in reception. Doesn't cost the earth but send the message to employees that you care that they have a healthy option.

2. Vending Machine with variety
Don't just fill it with sweet snacks - vary it up with nuts and seeds, low sugar health bars, yogurt drinks, bottled water etc. The less temptation there is in the way, the less people will fall for it.

3. Discount Vouchers & Coupons
Offer discount vouchers for using the local smoothie bar or health food store. Its a great incentive for staff to choose healthy over their normal choice. Again, this sends a loud message out that you want them to feel good.

4. Revamp the Canteen
If the office has catering, introduce healthier options that are desirable, Gone are the days of offering a token salad or sorry looking baked potato. Make sure you provide healthy options that are high on taste and filling.

5. Practice what you preach
All these healthy moves only work if the boss isn't seen chowing down on a burger at lunch time with a bag of crisps. Leading by example is always the best incentive for staff to jump on the band wagon.

So next time you're tempted to eat badly at lunch, do it and monitor how it makes you feel afterwards - and remember that feeling. Afternoons don't have to feel like a struggle to stay awake....

photograph by cackhanded (flickr)

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Employees Asked to Work Naked

Okay - just when you thought your office was bad, this should tell you that it could be so much worse. Are they working at the Federal reserve? Or a diamond company? What could possibly have prompted and employer to ask their employees to come into work with nothing on?

Not what you'd think.

Seems that the British company, Lush, were not going to let modesty stand in the way of a genuine statement about packaging. Take a look.

Wonder if sales went up just from curious browsers?

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