Small Companies Left Counting The Cost Of Workplace Absence

A recent survey has found that a significant proportion of small business bosses are risking their health as they battle absence to keep their business afloat.

The results of the survey, published in Cover magazine, suggest that four in ten heads of small companies continue to work from their sick beds, as their business would collapse if they were to take time off.

It seems that employees may also be compounding the problem, as 62% of small and medium-sized enterprise bosses say that employee absence is negatively affecting their business. Indeed, 46% said that high levels of employee absence are estimated to contribute up to a 10% drop in turnover in small businesses.

Yet staggeringly, despite these pressures, 38% of bosses admit that they spend more on office stationery than on initiatives that support employee health and wellbeing, such as flu jabs, cycle to work schemes and subsidised gym membership.

These findings reiterate the impact that ill health can have upon a business. It stands to reason that a healthier workforce will be more productive and committed, yielding higher returns and lower absence levels. Battling to try and work through sickness simply does not represent a prudent long-term solution, as it potentially risks encouraging serious health problems in the future.

Promoting good health in the workplace is vital to the prosperity and well-being of not only individual employees, but the business as a whole. Offering a generous employee benefit package encourages increases in motivation and performance – factors which will in turn drive increases in productivity and profitability.

Providing employees with sufficient healthcare cover will ensure that they are granted access to first class medical care, which not only protects them, but also makes them feel valued by the investment in their welfare, whilst also helping the business to attract and retain the high-calibre employees required to thrive and succeed. Indeed, offering a high-value employee benefit solution will also limit the company’s liability for any expensive medical treatment claims or long-term sickness absence claims that might arise.

Good health is good for business. Ensure that your expatriate employees, their dependants and your business are safeguarded against the effects of ill health by considering a high-value employee benefit solution from William Russell. Click here for more information, or click here to request a call back from one of our team. Alternatively, click here to get a quote.