Transparency is extremely important to us, so we are letting you know that we may receive a commission on some of links you click on from this page. See our disclaimer.

We reported recently on the costs of presenteeism — “working while sick can cause productivity loss, poor health, exhaustion and workplace epidemics,” according to Wikipedia.

So what can businesses do about it?

RealBusiness states: “The simplest provision of basic on-site health checks can be implemented at little or no cost – this will encourage a healthier lifestyle, as healthy employees are liable to be a business’s longest standing and most productive team members… Introducing wellness programmes in the place of work, for example, will help employees find the time to focus on their own health and create a positive and proactive workplace culture.”

The piece continues: “Furthermore, the results of professionally prescribed exercise programmes are actually frequently better than the leading medication for the same chronic conditions. Any business concerned with staff sickness will find that investing in their wellbeing will soon pay off, absenteeism will drop and productivity will soar.”

Another interesting insight: It may not make sense to only focus on so-called “high risk” employees. The Standard wrote: “Intuitively, it makes sense to target workers with the most health risks for health management program interventions. However, since there are likely many employees in the low-medium risk group, it makes sense to focus on both groups.”

Indeed, a 2012 study explored “the impact of at-work productivity loss on the total productivity cost by different instruments in patients recently diagnosed with RA (Rheumatoid arthritis) and controls without RA.”

The report, Productivity loss due to absenteeism and presenteeism by different instruments in patients with RA and subjects without RA, found that while RA may have impacts on presenteeism and productivity, the impacts went beyond just people with RA: “This study indicates that the impact of presenteeism on the total productivity costs in patients with RA is high. However, work productivity in individuals without RA was not optimal either, which implies a risk of overestimation of cost when a normal score is not taken into account.”

Finally, businesses also might be advised to look beyond physical health and consider mental health, too.

A 2011 Journal of Occupational Health Psychology study titled Attendance dynamics at work: The antecedents and correlates of presenteeism, absenteeism, and productivity loss “examined the antecedents and correlates of presenteeism, absenteeism, and productivity loss attributed to presenteeism.”

The conclusion: “Those high on neuroticism, the unconscientious, the job-insecure, those who viewed absence as more legitimate, and those experiencing work-family conflict reported more productivity loss. Overall, the results reveal the value of a behavioral approach to presenteeism over and above a strict medical model.”