Presenteeism is becoming a global workplace phenomenon, and is defined as a group of passively disengaged employees who are putting in the time, but not the passion or discretionary efforts that their employing organisation requires to be competitive.
“These employees are described as the people who have quit and stayed,” said Neville De Lucia, new business developer of Dale Carnegie Training.
Read: When 'presenteeism' rises, productivity falls
“Local data on this new workplace trend is scarce – it is said presenteeism is much harder to quantify than absenteeism. The only data specific information is a report conducted by PDT which suggests at least 42% of SA employees are not motivated to affect real change in their organisations.
“A global survey of employee engagement conduct by Dale Carnegie, including SA, showed that only 29% are fully engaged and 26% are fully disengaged.
“This is of real concern, as research has shown that engaged employees significantly outperform those that are not engaged. In the fight for competitive advantage where employees are the differentiator, engaged employees are the ultimate goal.”
A common reason for employees becoming disengaged is a breakdown in their relationship with their immediate supervisor. This can stem from a number of issues and employees’ work environment can have a noticeable impact.
Another key reason engaged employees move towards being present but not engaged is a lack of pride in their organisation.
De Luca said combating presenteeism in the workplace starts with the organisation’s culture. Management needs to take an honest look at whether or not the culture fosters employee engagement.
“The most crucial of all is the ability to restore the trust that has been lost in senior leadership and the ability to confidently lead the company and communicate the goals. Employees are the biggest investment and should be the greatest reward, but in many organisations employees are viewed as an asset to be managed rather than as individuals who can create the next innovation for success.
“Managers and supervisors can turn enthusiasm into full engagement from a multigenerational team to ensure effective workplace environments typified by effective communication and motivation.”
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