Feature Working Ourselves Sick: Employers Need to Do More to Battle Presenteeism As the seasons change, many Brits will be experiencing colds, coughs and flus over the next few weeks. Working while sick, otherwise known as presenteeism, costs employers around £24bn annually, according to Deloitte, due to reduced productivity, prolonged illnesses and leaving employees to work through a reduced capacity. Brenig Moore, public health expert at workplace training provider, Astutis, issues an urgent warning to employers and businesses as we enter a season of increased illnesses among employees. “Too many employees still feel pressured to push through illnesses, whether that’s a generic winter cold or something more serious. The problem is that presenteeism isn’t just harming the individual; employers are also paying far more than if the employee were to take a few days off to rest and recover. Changing the culture around sick leave is still one of the simplest tasks an employer can do, yet one of the most effective.” Brenig adds five actions that all employers and businesses must take now as flu season creeps upon us. 1. Review sick leave policies “You need to ensure that any absence policies are supportive and flexible, and make it clear that short-term sickness is preferable to long-term reduced performance. It’s worth redistributing the policy to staff members so that they know where to find it, what it says and what your company’s stance is on sickness. It’s also important to remind people who work from home that just because they’re at home, not infecting the rest of the office, doesn’t mean that they aren’t entitled to a few days’ rest to ensure that they come back fighting fit. A lot of people see ‘working from home’ and ‘working from bed’ as their time to rest, when they really need to shut off.” 2. Lead by example “Managers and senior staff should model healthy workplace behaviour by taking time off when they’re unwell. This will give employees, particularly those with less seniority than them, confidence that they will be able to do the same when they’re unwell without the fear of judgment. 3. Encourage open conversations about mental health “Training line managers to recognise early signs of stress, anxiety, and burnout can help stop any issues before they escalate further. There are many mental health training resources available online, and it’s worth sharing a few of these with employees, and reminding them that leaders are there to help with workload and stress.” 4. Small cultural shifts “Remind employees that they need good rest and vital screen breaks while they’re working. You can, and should, implement small cultural shifts such as encouraging lunch breaks away from desks, digital switch-off after hours, and not feeling obliged to respond to emails once they’ve closed their laptop for the day. All of these can make huge differences to someone’s work life.” 5. Invest in workplace wellbeing programmes “From mental health first aid training to employee assistance programmes, proactive support reduces stigma and shows their staff that wellbeing matters. If your HR professional has had mental health training, then they could give this to other employees, too. It doesn’t all have to be external and paid-for, but sharing knowledge in a group situation.” For more information on mental health in the workplace, Astutis has analysed the Burnout Report 2025, along with comments from Steve Terry. Tom Robinson’s Story: Why Manufacturers Need to Back Youth Careers This year’s edition of National Manufacturing Day is here (September 25th) – and with the event aiming to shed light upon career options for young people, it’s a timely reminder that the sector’s future depends on our ability to support pathways into long-term careers. Manufacturing’s need for long-term direction is welldocumented. Information from World Skills UK showed that 83% of young people felt they faced barriers to pursuing a career in manufacturing, with 48% having never received any information about a career in the sector. A 2024 Barclays study further highlighted our sector’s needs. 75% of manufacturers cited the skills shortage as their largest barrier to growth, while recruitment and talent retention ranked second and third respectively, at 36% and 32%. Investing in youth pathways is the answer – and while the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy has set out support for young people to get into the sector, manufacturers that are adopting a youthfirst hiring process are beginning to reap the benefits. At Basingstoke-based custom cable assemblies manufacturer GTK UK Ltd., the company’s policy of investing in graduates and young people is already yielding fantastic results. One career journey in particular – that of Business Manager Tom Robinson – highlights the impact that investment and mentorship can have on young talent. We spoke to Tom about his experience working at GTK, and how, with the company’s support, he’s helping to drive change and create a positive impact. So, Tom, when did you start working at GTK? “My time working at GTK started back in 2023, when I was studying Economics at Bournemouth University. During my penultimate year of study, I spent a placement year with GTK, working as a Manufacturing Technician. “When the placement year ended and I resumed studying, the company kept me on a zero-hours contract, which was really helpful in terms of keeping my knowledge up-to-date and staying in the loop with everything that the company was doing. When I finished studying, I moved to my current role, which is Business Manager for Cables and I/O.” Was it a challenge moving into the new role? “Of course, but it felt like a natural progression! My placement gave me a strong foundation in how the business operates and where I could add value. Moving into the Business Manager role felt like a natural step because I already understood our processes and had built relationships within the team. “It was a bit of an adjustment at first, making the move from the engineering department into my current role but I’ve always felt I was more commercially minded than engineering minded. I’ve moved from a position that’s closer to the back end of the product timeline to being at the very start of every customer enquiry. From
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