Employee health and well-being are probably one the most important things to take care of. Whether you are a worker or a boss, sooner or later, you will get sick or injured and need to take a couple of days off to get better.
Focusing on employee health helps keep your employees happily working for you over the long haul.
This just makes sense. Someone is sick and they don’t want to spread it to others. Or, they have a broken leg and can’t do much. Instead of making the unhealthy person come in, keep them home!
Many managers seem to not want to “give up” their employees when they are unhealthy. Mainly because there could be short-staff issues or trying to find a replacement can be difficult. So how does one get through this? Well, it’s pretty simple.
Keep them home.
I know, it is a crazy idea, but it’s the truth.
Keep them home for their well-being…and that of others.
First off, no one on this planet wants to be around someone is sick. Whether that’s the flu or the common cold, or even the coronavirus, not a single person on this planet wants to be around sneezing, coughing, running noses, or even worse symptoms.
The human and humane thing to do is send them home. If you were sick, wouldn’t you want to stay home and rest, so that you can be productive later? It’s common sense.
If the boss wants you in and you are barely able to drive, you need to put your foot down and tell them that you don’t feel well. You won’t be productive, and you don’t want to get others sick.
Additionally, everyone’s body is wired differently. So for some people, being sick barely feels like anything, but others will feel that they are on their death bed. Be courteous and stay home. Besides, how often do you get a day off?
Consider and measure your response with care.
For the angry boss who is tempted to be upset with a sick employee, here are some tips to cool off.
Number one is that no one is purposely trying to get you to fail by not coming in because they are sick. They care about their job and the business. They don’t want you and the other workers to get sick. Remember, they are people. You are people. Besides, you are the boss. You set the tone when it comes to employee health.
There is a missing employee due to illness. It’s now your responsibility to figure out what to do about the position. If it doesn’t need to be filled, don’t sweat it. If it is a spot that does need to be filled, then either you do it, find someone who can do it, or just delay it because you can’t control what happens in life.
But letting a person stay home to rest from their illness will actually make them a better employee. How? Well…you get to have employee loyalty and retention. What does that mean? It means that they stay with you longer. They are more loyal to your business simply because you let them stay home when they are sick.
But how does that work?
Letting them stay home to get better tells employees that you care. Which you should.
There are many benefits to keeping your employees such as more revenue, efficient training, having experienced employees, and having a more productive workforce. If people learn that you don’t let people go home because they are sick, no one will want to work for you. If it’s a small community, everyone will know and your business will suffer.
Losing your reputation can be extremely damaging so be sure to have a heart and take care of your employees.
Here are a few simple suggestions.
So if you want to be helpful in keeping your employees and your business, then there are a couple of things you can also do to promote healthiness.
Offering better health benefits is a huge deal for so many people that having it can change (and even save) lives. You can also keep track of how your employees are doing and ensure that they are not getting stressed out.
To de-escalate stress, have some fun in the workplace! Bring pets in, have a pizza party, or even host a company-wide event that promotes health and wellness.
Parting Thoughts
At the end of the day, it is a basic human courtesy to treat your fellow human beings with respect and let them stay home and rest.
Other times, they may have to call in because they have a sick child or sick elderly parent. Allowing people to take care of themselves (and others) allows them to know that they have a good work environment. Their supervisor prioritizes employee health. Knowing that they have a safe, healthy work environment leads to a better workforce.
So don’t be so angry the next time someone calls in because they are sick. If you just have to have them come in, then perhaps the ill employee is not the most unhealthy part of your business.
