Incentives against absenteeism goad the ill to work?
The concerns about the number of sick days being taken by their employees, have led over a quarter of European employers to offer incentives to reduce sickness absence. These incentives include bonuses and vouchers but opinion on the appropriateness of such incentives is mixed. A Europe wide survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting has found that some employers are concerned that the incentives may be counter-productive by increasing ‘presenteeism’ among those who are genuinely ill. Steve Clements (Mercer) says: “Some employers believe that by offering incentives to reduce absence they are encouraging employees who are genuinely sick to attend work. Many also struggle with the notion of rewarding employees for doing what is expected of them – that is, to work when they are fit to do so.” The survey found that many employers offer health initiatives such as screening (60%) or subsidised gym membership to help counter genuine sickness absence.
