HRANB Newsletter

Annette Patterson, Director, Health Management Solutions, Medavie Blue Cross During an economic downturn, an organization’s very survival may depend on its capacity to maximize its return on investment and increase its productivity. By engaging employees and creating a healthy workplace, employers can achieve cohesive work teams and productivity gains.

But that cannot happen if employees are not in the workplace.

The 2008 sanofi-aventis HealthCare Survey touched on some of the factors explaining the increase in absenteeism and disability claims throughout Canada¹. The effect of stress and mental health problems (depression in particular) on work performance is well documented. According to the Canada Safety Council, mental health issues are the fastest growing category of disability costs in Canada². Not addressing workplace stress leads to absenteeism, disability, low productivity and increased staff turnover.

Furthermore, the aging of the Canadian population means there is no relief in sight when it comes to the price tag associated with absenteeism. In 2008, according to Statistics Canada, full time workers between the ages of 35 and 54 years old lost seven days of work due to illness or disability, while their colleagues between 60 and 64 years old lost almost twice as many days (approximately twelve days)³.

Challenging economic times. Increasing disability claims. An aging workforce. Looming labour shortages. The need to take action now to address the issue of absenteeism and disability in the workplace has never been more obvious.

But... where to start? Often perceived to be beyond their control, employers may feel overwhelmed and powerless when dealing with absenteeism. Through prevention and early intervention, however, there are a number of steps employers can take to get a handle on illness in their workplace.

The first step is to collect information. Many businesses don’t gather data on the reasons behind their employees’ absences proactively, before these absences become disability claims. Investing in an attendance support program can provide employers with the information necessary to develop a good understanding of what is keeping their employees away from the workplace.

By tracking this information and reporting on it on an aggregate level, employers can identify specific strategies to maximize employee health and productivity. For example, if data shows workplace conflict is a root cause of work related stress for a large number of employees and that attendance is affected by it, an employer can develop a plan to correct the situation. By having access to a confidential, unbiased, third party perspective, an employer can identify issues that might not otherwise be discovered until much later than they should, and at the employee level, individuals get the help they need.

Gathering and analyzing data is critical to maximizing your return on investment on your wellness dollars. Without an effective and proven attendance support program, your organizational health initiatives may only be a shot in the dark.

Furthermore, if your attendance support program is one with best practices, is a place employees who need assistance get it smoothly, and is integrated with case management solutions and an employee assistance program (EAP), the reasons keeping individuals from work (whether they are work or family related) can be addressed proactively, before the issues get out of hand. Helping employees access therapies for chronic conditions such as asthma, migraines or mental health problems can also significantly reduce your long term health care costs, as well as decrease their absenteeism.

In tough economic times, your most expensive chair is an empty one. With an effective and proven attendance support program in place, you can reduce the financial strain of absenteeism and disability claims on your organization. By offering health promotion and early intervention solutions, you can manage and even prevent chronic disease. By engaging employees, you can positively impact attendance, productivity and your bottom line. Yes You Can.

¹ www.sanofi-aventis.ca/live/ca/en/layout.jsp?scat=32F9C478-C9F2-43B4-9D17-5257E6F13C09

² www.safety-council.org/info/OSH/mentalhealth.html

³ www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/lp/spila/wlb/aw/09overview_analysis.shtml

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