How to avoid the dangers of presenteeism

The levels of stress in the charity sector have increased since the pandemic. Staff face unprecedented levels of demand for services despite shrinking budgets. Adding to the overall climate, personal and mental health issues are complicated. A sniffle at work isn’t a sniffle any longer – there’s always the fear that coronavirus may be in the office.

 

Mind UK’s survey on how coronavirus is affecting mental health is telling. In their study of 40,000 employees, they found that mental health had deteriorated for 41% of respondents. That translates into a lot of people at work who are mentally unhealthy.

 

Despite feeling physically or mentally unwell, charity staff are still showing up to work. Taking a closer look at presenteeism, we go over how to recognise the phenomenon and how to support struggling staff.

 

 

What is presenteeism? 

 

Known to HR managers for some time, presenteeism is when employees show up to work but they are physically or mentally unproductive. 

 

Bright HR offers a useful definition. Presenteeism is when staff work while sick or do too much overtime. The agency says that this happens during an economic downturn: “In the economic downturn of recent years, more and more staff members become reluctant to take time off. This is in the fear it may lead to them having an unfavourable viewing by management.”

 

Presenteeism isn’t just limited to charity staff working in-person.

 

The transition to remote working has impacted mental health. According to LinkedIn and The Mental Health Foundation, 80% of HR staff think that working from home increases e-presenteeism. This variant of presenteeism happens when charity staff feel obligated to be online and responding to work around the clock.

 

The results of both e- and in-person presenteeism are lower productivity levels, which may contribute to a toxic workplace, says the BBC. For charities, it’s important to be aware of and address signs of presenteeism.

 

 

Preventing presenteeism

 

To prevent presenteeism and its negative impacts, de-stress the working environment. For hybrid and remote workers, encourage staff to carve out time for themselves. To promote hybrid working, digital hacks can help. Use digital tools to keep a schedule and don’t forget to let workers plan for offline time.

 

For charity digital managers, set an example of healthy work habits. Make sure that your team is aware of your days offline and remember to stay away from contacting others when they are on leave.

 

Presenteeism also occurs when there is too much work for the team. To stay effective both inside of the office and online, project management platforms work well. At Charity Digital, we’ve taken a closer look at Asana, Trello, Monday.com, ClickUp, and Microsoft Planner.

 

While varying in the level of sophistication, all the project management software providers have ways to track workload. Of them, Asana is arguably the most effective task manager. The platform allows managers to track projects and hours worked.

 

Communication is also key to preventing presenteeism. The best digital communication tools are used for both informal and formal catch-ups. For videoconferencing, use Microsoft Teams and Zoom – they can help give you a better feel for how staff are doing.

 

Slack, Microsoft Teams chat, and WhatsApp are also great for touching base through text. Our top tip here is to make use of administrator functions. Microsoft Teams and Slack both have functions to see who’s been online and when.

 

Despite the conveniences of remote and hybrid working, don’t forget about the human element. All charity staff need praise and rewards for hard work. For cost conscious charities, praise goes far. If you can, offer company days off after successful projects have been completed. Show your staff how much you appreciate them during tough times.

 

 

Support all types of working environments

 

Presenteeism impacts mental and physical health. Many staff not only see a deterioration in how they think, but also in how they feel.  To successfully combat presenteeism, it’s best to have a strategy that addresses both causes.

 

Knowing where to look for and how to recommend mental health resources to staff is key. Foremost in the mental health sector is Mind. The charity’s Side by Side online community provides a safe space for charity staff to explore their feelings or to just listen to others. For managers, supporting employees can take many forms. For those taking mental health seriously, assign a Mental Health First Aider.

 

Ensuring that your staff are physically healthy also combats presenteeism. In addition to scheduling selfcare time, managers should see that staff get fresh air. Taking both mind and body to heart, Sport in the Mind delivers sports and physical activity sessions for people suffering from mental health issues. Making sure that staff are aware of opportunities helps prevent presenteeism.