Chit chat - Sick note

Published Tuesday 7 October 2008 at 12:00 by Tabard

Tabard has this week stumbled over one of the most bizarre pieces of research we have ever had the dubious pleasure of perusing.

Apparently - and God only knows why anyone would need to know this - one in seven people working in the arts would rather go to work with diarrhoea than take the day off sick.

We know - it’s an earth-shattering, life-changing revelation which makes you want to positively relieve yourself in shock.

This juicy little nugget of enlightenment comes from health insurance provider HSA, which is obviously trying to flog a few more policies off the back of it.

So, before you all drop your packets of Imodium and go reaching for the Yellow Pages so you can sign up immediately, here’s a few other smatterings of wisdom from our friends at HSA.

Over the last year, 30% of people working in the arts have taken a day off with sickness and diarrhoea. Apparently, arts industry professionals are also the second most likely sector to distrust their doctor (after whom, it is unclear).

Meanwhile seven out of ten would go to work even if suffering from stress, four out of ten would plough on with a migraine and one in five would even venture into the office/theatre/art gallery with flu.

The voice of reason - aka Richard Halley, HSA’s head of sales - has some advice for you all.

“Our report has revealed that, due to the pressures of the economic downturn, employees in the arts sector are taking huge risks with their health. By continuing to work through illness at any cost they are also taking the risk of creating a health epidemic at work, feeding a vicious cycle of perpetual illness by infecting more and more employees [note from Tabard - rather like in a bad Zombie film].

“Companies are under pressure to get the best out of employees. However, this should not be done at the expense of employee health and welfare. Companies will only battle through an economic downturn with the support of their employees, and their well-being should therefore be of paramount importance.

“Health plans such as those offered by HSA are designed to cover check-ups, treatment and emergencies, and contain benefits that employees will use regularly, so can help keep them healthy and at work.”

But don’t just take his word for it. They’ve got a real-life academic on board to support their findings. Golly, gosh, it must be true.

Professor Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology at Lancaster University Management School, commented: “The findings in HSA’s research demonstrate that employees are suffering the classic symptoms of ‘presenteeism’. This is where people are worried about their jobs, so they feel they have to be at work, even if they are ill.

“Presenteeism usually occurs in a downturn because employees want to show commitment, so they will come in earlier, stay later and come in even when they are sick. This is counterproductive, because a sick employee isn’t a productive employee and invariably he or she will make wrong decisions which someone else will have to rectify later on. Organisations need to focus on giving employees the support they need to get better, as this will benefit the business in the long run.”

You’ve been warned.