Why Are My Employees Calling Out Sick?

Coming into the workplace when you are unwell or otherwise incapacitated is called presenteeism. While it may not seem like a serious issue at face value, presenteeism is the number one cause of loss of productivity in the workplace. In fact, the cost of presenteeism is estimated to be 150 billion dollars per year in the United States - a value far higher than the cost of absenteeism (where workers fail to show up to the workplace due to illness or other personal issues). 

Providing your employees with access to medical benefits can help keep them healthy and recover faster when they’re sick. It also sends the message that their health and wellbeing is important to your organization, which can help prevent presenteeism. With Mira, you can offer preventative, primary, urgent care and behavioral health benefits. Healthy employees mean less days off due to illness, and healthier employees in the office! Try Mira today!

Presenteeism Explained

Presenteeism occurs when an employee is physically present at work, but is unable to function to their full capabilities due to illness or injury. This includes:

• Physical illness such as a cold, the flu, or other infections
• Injuries
• Mental illness such as depression or anxiety
• Conditions that cause people to be emotionally unavailable such as burnout or high levels of work-related stress

In any of the above situations, workers may be showing up to work, but are likely not functioning as they would normally, or optimally, be able to. This causes a loss of productivity, and costs businesses in the United States billions of dollars every year.