As a business owner or a manager, it is pretty obvious that you would want 100% attendance by all your staff, but sadly, this is almost impossible. Sickness in business is unfortunate, and with some staff whose services are quite technical being absent, things can slow down for you. It is also an inconvenience for other employees as they have to cover for their colleagues, even though there might be overtime payments available. There is only much that you can do as a manager or business owner to keep all your staff healthy.
Your main role is to maintain a sound working environment for everyone at the office. Ensure that you provide ideal working conditions to shield your team from occupational diseases and encourage them to take care of themselves while away from work. Here are some handy tips on how to reduce sickness rates at work.
Keep The Work Building As Hygienic As Possible
The majority of diseases, including occupational diseases, are as a result of poor hygiene. The first way of reducing sickness rates at work is to ensure that your work building is as hygienic as possible. If possible, hire a cleaning company to empty bins and clean the work building at the end of the day and intervals during the day, including fumigation and sanitization once in a while. When we talk about hygiene, we are also talking about ensuring a good circulation of fresh air. You and your employees come to the office five to six days a week and sit a few feet from each other, and it is only wise that there is superb aeration. Install large windows or an air conditioning system to allow for continuous circulation of air.
Promote A Healthier Lifestyle Among Employees
Lifestyle plays a crucial role in health and is something that you need to emphasize as an employer to reduce sickness rates at work. The best way to promote a healthier lifestyle among your staff is by offering incentives such as coupons and codes for a nearby gym for workout sessions. If your pocket allows, you could also install a gym within your work building where your employees can use daily. You also need to lead by example and join them during workout sessions - this will not only keep you fit but also help build a bond between you and your employees.
Besides working out, you should also encourage proper feeding habits while at work. However, this should not come as a command but rather bring it up as one of the healthy traditions you have in the office. Start by getting rid of junk food and unhealthy snacks in the office fridge and kitchen counters and replacing them with healthy foods such as fruits and drinking water.
Create Flexible Working Schedules
Overworking staff to get more output or sell more is a sure-fire way of increasing sickness rates in your business, and the effects that follow are quite adverse. You need to have all your staff in a perfect physical and mental state to reduce cases of absenteeism due to sicknesses. Ideally, the only way to keep your workforce in the ideal mental, emotional, and physical state is by creating flexible working schedules that improve motivation and effectiveness. Consider hiring more staff to create a flexible schedule that does not stretch your workers beyond their limits.
Also, come up with a system that will allow for the reshuffling of duties among employees, including off days and paid leave - doing this not only effectively reduces sickness rates at work but also improves efficiency.
Pin Down Reasons For Sick Leave
One of the steps in solving a problem is understanding the cause. Among your employees, some are known for taking sick leave often due to various reasons, and you should seek to understand and mitigate these reasons if possible. It could be ergonomics in the office such as noise and bright or dim lighting that cause headaches or worn-out office seats and very low desks that cause back pain. For reasons you cannot directly address, there is the option of fixing them in the flexible working schedule and allowing them to work from home during those days when they are off their element.
