A healthy workplace culture should be the foundation of any organisation, as employee safety and happiness are crucial for success. However, recognising when your team is not feeling their best can be challenging. This often leads to issues such as presenteeism and absenteeism.

Presenteeism and absenteeism are critical indicators of overall employee well-being and productivity. Understanding these ‘isms’ is essential, as they can highlight the factors threatening your team’s morale and efficiency, ultimately affecting the organisation’s performance.

Absenteeism refers to unscheduled employee absences due to unplanned events such as illnesses, family emergencies, or personal issues. Presenteeism is defined as the practice of remaining at work longer than usual or coming in while ill to demonstrate dedication and importance to your employer. This may stem from employees feeling overwhelmed by their workloads. These employees are often present at work but are not fully engaged or productive.