“A feeling of guilt should not be driving unwell employees into work when they are genuinely ill. This type of workplace culture, where staff feel obliged to work even if they are sick, benefits neither employees or employers. Staff productivity, engagement and wellbeing are negatively impacted in such an environment, yet these are vital to business success and must not be ignored.
What’s important when it comes to illness is that there is trust between employer and employee. Companies must deal with sickness absence in a fair, consistent and sympathetic way, recognising each case on an individual basis and providing support as and when required.”
