Dubai: Absenteeism in the workplace is again on the rise and today’s spotlight is on the need to adopt flexible work arrangements to reduce office stress and maintain employee productivity.
High absence levels are detrimental to company bottom lines. When employees suddenly don’t show up at work, companies face a staff shortage and deadlines are not met, products are not delivered on time, underserved customers are not happy, and organisations ultimately lose out on revenues.
The latest survey from Regus, a global workplace provider, showed that more than (52 per cent) of people working in the Middle East are reporting an increase in absenteeism. The same is true in the UK, where each worker is taking an average of 7.6 days of unscheduled time off every year, according to another research.
Employees have a number of reasons for taking an unscheduled time off and chief among them is stress. Regus’ study showed that tough economic conditions in some markets, coupled with exceptional growth in emerging economies, are putting undue strain on employees in the region and causing absenteeism to rise.
The survey, which polled 20,000 senior executives and business owners across 95 countries, found that nearly seven out of ten (66 per cent) people in the Middle East are reporting more stress-related illnesses since the downturn. About a third (33 per cent) are losing sleep because they worry so much about work.
A number of employers have addressed the issue by introducing flexible working patterns, such as by making their staff work from 10 am to 6pm instead of 9am to 5pm, or letting some employees work from home, in order to save time and so that employees are able to have a work-life balance.
In the UK, for example, almost nine out of 10 companies (85 per cent) have adjusted working patterns this year, compared to just 65 per cent last year, according to the Annual Management survey released in October by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), in partnership with Simplyhealth, a health insurance firm.
“It’s really important for businesses to recognize new ways of working to support a diverse workforce and to retain talent. Hopefully, employees will now be able to better balance their work and home demands,” said Dr Jill Miller, CIPD research adviser and co-author of the report.
Helen Dickinson, spokesperson for Simplyhealth UK said that if companies allow their staff to work in a flexible environment, employees will be more motivated and productive.
“Getting flexible working right can lead to higher motivation levels, better productivity and increased flexibility. Balancing both the needs of the company and the employee often results in happier and healthier employees and lower absence levels,” she said in a press release.
Regus’ survey, however, indicated that there are more residents in the region that are stressed out than in other job markets, given that the global average of people seeing stress-related illnesses is only 61 per cent.
“Workers are expected to do more with less, and this has taken its toll to the point many are close to burn-out,” said Kory Thompson, UAE country manager at Regus.
Medical professionals have warned that illnesses caused by stress can lead to more problematic health issues ranging from obesity to heart diseases, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal problems and asthma. Employers must therefore be proactive to ensure the overall wellbeing of their staff won’t suffer.
“Stress is a known catalyst for a number of serious illnesses. Proactive businesses that address stress are likely to end up with a healthier workforce and reduced absenteeism,” added Thompson.
Thompson said flexible working relates to a better work-life balance. “It is about adopting working hours from a location that better suits your lifestyle. It could be that you work closer to home so you can be there to see your children after work, or you work at a venue close to clients or associates, so you can meet them face to face,” he told Gulf News.
