Chefs let employees work despite illness

Survey among executives: one in three supervisors has sick employees working

13.12.2012

A recent survey by recruitment consultancy LAB & Company has shown that every third boss leaves his employees to work even though they are obviously ill. According to this, only two out of three supervisors send their employees home when they complain of a cough, cold or fever. 18 percent of the bosses even praise the use of their sick staff. And some want to offer rewards so that the days of sick leave are lowered.

An employee's illness does not mean that many sufferers are allowed to stay at home. In a survey of executives and entrepreneurs, 17 percent said they did „find good“, when employees come to work despite a flu or fever. This was the result of a study by the personnel consultancy LAB & Company and researchers from Coburg University.

Work in spite of illness
A total of 381 senior staff members from different hierarchical levels took part in a survey study. About 92 percent of the respondents were male managers. The aim of the study was to find out how executives respond to the illness of their subordinates and how they themselves deal with their work ethic and health. It became apparent that supposed „virtues“ still booming in the companies. Because many bosses let their employees work, although they show clear signs of illness. The results of the study also showed the results „frightened“. Obviously that applies „Attendance at the workplace in Germany is still a performance and career criterion - even if it is at the expense of one's own health, "said Professor for Social Work and Health at Coburg University, Prof. Eberhard Nöfer.

During the course of the study, the executives should imagine certain situations that in reality can happen in a similar way. There were also different signals like „important employee“ or „very urgent project“ with built-in. Several answers were possible. One question, for example, is: "You and your team are involved in a very urgent project, and an important employee comes to work with a febrile cold." What do you do?

„Anyone who remains despite illness identifies with the company“
After all, two-thirds of respondents reacted to this question consistently in the interests of the employee's health. You would also be at one „urgent project“ and be it „an important employee“ send home without discussion for the healing process. However, 26 percent of supervisors said they would try to hire the employee „Home office“ to move and set up a home office. 14 percent opted for the answer: „Our employees are grown up and can decide for themselves what is right for them "and about 18 percent felt that they would like it if the employee stayed, because it would make it obvious that the employee would be the one „Employee identified with his task“.

Executives work for a long time and seldom pay attention to their own health
In the second round, the managers should assess themselves. It turned out that one's own health is only secondary to bosses. The question to be answered was: "Imagine you have a moderate cold, what do you do?" Only about nine percent said they stayed at home, restoring full work capacity and health. The majority, namely said: „I would still go to work“.

The attitude to your own health also fits in with the career opportunities in your own company. Sixty-three percent of respondents said that it is above all employees who are assigned to executive positions who have particularly long working hours. Not necessarily that has to do with an exaggerated work delusion, but rather with a high work density. One participant emphasized that without „Twelve-hour shifts“ the workload can no longer be accomplished. And another said, "Good results are usually related to willingness to spend more time." A meta-study on presenteeism recently came to the conclusion that more and more employees in Germany are also going to work sick.

Termination or premiums
„An employee must be worried about his job if he is on sick leave?“ 17 percent of the bosses said that it would be better to get rid of frequently ill employees by giving notice. Others (8 percent) said that RBB premiums are a good way to lower sickness rates. The majority (81 percent) stressed that „Companies with good health management that can promote the mental and physical wellbeing of employees“. 72 percent believe that hospital records could be minimized if the working climate improves.

But is it easy to improve the working atmosphere? If the work density is high and the competition between the employees is strong, it is obvious that this also affects the climate at work. While the desire to improve the working climate is evidently supported by the majority of managers, if costs have to be taken into account, the issue of well-being and well-being has in most workplaces been resolved by the management staff. The health of employees is still barely understood as an investment and economic good. "In the end, the company pays the bill for the rising number of burnout cases, early retirement and for a declining performance of the economy," warns Klaus Aden of the recruitment consultancy LAB & Company. The demand for services and the high density of the work will soon be on its feet not only for the economy but also for society. (Sb)

Also read:
Presentiment: Many go to work despite illness

Image: Benjamin Thorn