Sick of the 'Sickie'?

The issue of the ‘sickie’ was raised by a client recently who has been struggling to get people to consistently turn up for work at a time when roles have been especially hard for them to fill.  Staff shortages are putting enormous pressure on the team and the last thing they need is people dishonestly using their personal leave. 

 

In many instances the solution to the problem of high absenteeism lies in the engagement of people; not only with their job but also the extent to which they feel connected with the organisation they work for.   People who are bought in to the vision of the business and love the people they work with are typically more reliable.   

 

In my observation there are a few different types of ‘sickie’: 

 

1. I have something better to do today so I’m going to lie and not go to work 

2. I give more than I get so I’m taking a day off whether my boss likes it or not 

3. I’m feeling demotivated and can’t be bothered working today 

 

The first is an option elected by people who lack integrity; namely honesty and fairness.  There are likely to be other indications of a lack of integrity these people bring to their work.  People are paid a wage in return for a service that they promise to provide their employer; accepting their pay while deliberately withholding the service for no legitimate reason is tantamount to stealing.   

 

The second type of sickie is fueled by a sense of injustice or lack of equity in the relationship someone has with their employer.  While still not an acceptable reason to dishonestly take leave, the simple reality is reasonable people who feel fairly compensated and recognised for the contribution they make are far less likely to call in sick when they’re not.   

 

When the third type of sickie is in play, often people convince themselves that the mild physical discomfort they feel is in fact an illness or injury that warrants a day in bed.  While I’m not advocating that people go to work when they are unwell, it is evident that some of us allow mental fragility to influence our decisions about going to work.   

 

Over the years I’ve observed many businesses attempt to put controls in place that they hope will at the very least act as a deterrent if not all together dissuade people from ‘chucking a sickie’.  For example, requiring medical certificates for every day of absence.  While its possible there is some positive effect in this strategy, unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be all that hard to convince a doctor to give us a ‘leave pass’ from work.   

 

While even the most enthusiastic and passionate member of a team may feel disinclined to work on a given day, the choices they make are most likely to be influenced by the sense of commitment and loyalty they feel.   A desire to get their job done or achieve a goal, sense of loyalty to their teammates, respect for their manager, are all more likely to safeguard against people choosing to take a sickie than any process or policy controls can hope to achieve.