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Supervisors, managers and foremen have always worried about absenteeism. Excessive absences are bad for morale and bad for business. When too many workers miss too much work too often, productivity takes a nosedive.
That's why good supervisors pull out all the stops to reduce absenteeism. Unfortunately, some managers may have gotten too good at getting workers to show up. As it turns out, more and more employees are coming to work when they are sick and should stay home. Longtime business observers call this growing phenomenon "presenteeism." It's the opposite of absenteeism. But it is becoming just as big a problem for supervisors. And it's getting worse.
The Toxic Workplace
In almost all industries and businesses, increasing numbers of people are trying "tough it out" and work through their illness.
It's not being brave or stoic. It's being stupid. And supervisors are often the worst offenders. The results of unchecked presenteeism can be as bad or worse than the consequences of excessive absenteeism.
Contagious employees spread infection. Illness can expand out of control. In a short time, a healthy workplace can turn toxic and become a cesspool of sickness. People get infected; -Infect others; -Get well; -Then, get infected all over again. It's a self-perpetuating cycle that can drag down efficiency and effectiveness at all levels.
Employees who bring germs, bacteria or viruses into the workplace are mini epidemics just waiting to happen. When employees insist on working while they are sick, outbreaks of illness only get worse and last longer. As more people are affected and infected, performances throughout the organization suffer as well.
Obviously, sick employees, who show up for work anyway, do themselves, their co-workers and their superiors no favors. So why do they do it?
Causes
Workers abandon their sick bed to return to the job too soon for a variety of reasons. For some, it's denial. For others, it may be ego or economics. The most common reasons or explanations (There are no excuses.) include:
Ill-prepared to be absent due to illness. In schools, classroom teachers often think they cannot miss a day when they are sick because they don't have adequate lesson plans for a substitute. It works...