At a time when employers are carefully watching every dollar they spend, employee benefits are top on everyone’s mind. Especially with new legislation moving through Washington that may make benefits mandatory for all employees, you should begin to take the costs of your employee benefits very seriously.

A relatively new concept called “Presenteeism” has been discussed recently by employers groups and insurance companies. Presenteeism is the opposite of “absenteeism”, when employees do not come into work due to illness. Presenteeism discusses the lack of productivity or underperformance of an employee in the workplace because they are struggling with an illness or are assisting a family member who has a health condition.  These health issues can range from back and neck pain, to depression and stress.

There is a high cost associated with employees who are present, but not working to their full capability. Reports indicate that employees dealing with health concerns can cost as much as 60% of the total health care costs and affect 30% of the workforce. As an employer, creating an environment that positions health as a core value will reduce the amount of money that is spent on healthcare, while also addressing challenges like Presenteeism.

How can you affect this change?

The first step is to assess your work environment by getting to know your employees.  Assessments can be non-intrusive by identifying employees that may have some visible health issues.  After evaluating, develop a corporate strategy that will create a healthier environment.  For example, create programs that encourage employees to stop smoking, lose weight or manage stress. Remember, small steps towards addressing the prevalent health concerns identified in your assessment is the first step to creating a healthy environment and reducing the cost of employee benefits.

We’ll look at additional ways to promote a healthy work environment in our next post.