Bending backwards to move forward

Pro

1 April 2005

Call it a coincidence if you will but there seems to be an increase in the number of people calling in sick during summer time. In fact, large numbers of businesses around the country tend to find themselves bereft of employees once June comes about

Far be it from me to suggest that the sun could do anything but good, but the fact remains that our parks do seem to get busier and our factory floors quieter once the weather gets better.

A spot of sunshine isn’t the only thing likely to lead to sickness. As many employers found during the last World Cup, large sporting events can also lead to sudden, unexplained bouts of illness among staff. Given that we’re about to have a feast of sporting excellence thrust upon us this summer in the guises of Wimbledon, the Olympics
and the European Championships, there must be more than one business owner worrying about the well-being of his or her employees.

Days lost through sick leave are obviously costly to employers and when there’s the suspicion that individuals may not be at death’s door but in the pub instead, there’s anger as well. But what can business owners do about it other than get heavy handed or grin
and bear it?

Another approach would be to accept that, like it or loathe it, some people are going to want to see synchronised swimming and they’ll do whatever they can to ensure that they don’t miss it. Given this, a cunning plan needs to be considered that will allow employees
to watch obscure sports and still ensure that they get the work done. This is where flexible working comes into place.

The introduction of modern technologies into the workplace means that there really is no need for us to follow the strict nine-to-five working life anymore. It’s tradition that compels us to sit in traffic for hours in order to reach the office at a set time, rather than a
pressing business need. So, given that there are now a large number of individuals who don’t need to be tied to set working hours or to a set location, why not show some flexibility towards their needs this summer? There’s now a plethora of tech tools out
there that employees can use to stay in touch with work — be it notebooks, PDAs or mobile phones — and increased Internet adoption among both home and business users means that teleworking is now a distinct possibility rather than just a distant pipe dream.

Moreover, by allowing employees a certain amount of leeway when it comes to fulfilling their responsibilities you’ll probably see more productivity and less sick days occurring. So instead of coming down hard on your employees this summer, go on, be a sport!

12/07/04

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