Comments on: Growing problem: ‘I’m here (but I’m not working)’

By: R. B.

R. B. — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:11:59 +0000

I also have worked many places where either subtle pressure or not-so-subtle pressure was put on employees to work when sick and to work a minimum of 10 hours per day every day week after week. I have seen some really amazing people totally burn out because of the lack of work-life balance and it troubles me. The one thing I have learned is that you can take a very gifted, intelligent, exceptional person and pile so much work on them over an extended period of time that they become ineffective and completely burn out. Doesn’t matter how good they were to begin with. If everything is out of balance, at some point, something is going to give and the person eventually fails.

I liken this to maintaining a piece of equipment. If we continually run a piece of machinery without properly maintaining it and performing the needed preventative maintenance, the machinery will fail. People are the same way. We all need the down time, the preventative maintenance (vacations, weekends, evenings doing something besides working, reasonable hours) to stay healthy and productive. If we don’t get it, we may perform for a time, but the day will come when we begin to fail and “crash and burn” isn’t far in the future. If we can see the logic and business sense behind properly maintaining equipment, why can’t we see it in relation to people? We negatively impact the company’s bottom line when we burn people out just like we do when we don’t take care of company property. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost of burn-out isn’t the greater expense.

Meanwhile, I work 10 hour days and grow weary…

By: Marilynn

Marilynn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:07:11 +0000

I work for a very progressive small manufacturing firm. As the company has grown they have added benefits for team members like health insurance, a simple IRA and PTO. PTO is aquired by hours on the clock and can be used in any manner. Team members are encouraged to stay home when sick. There is a certain amount of flex time within scheduling needs and the member assistance and referral program is growing all the time. The management has brought in people to teach classes on budgeting, home ownership, and investing. Team members are often sent at company expense to classes that help members develop management skills, improve communication, and working with varied age or ethnic groups. Other relevant classes have been re-embursed. They are aware of presenteeism and have promoted solutions to it. For example I cannot stay awake at around 3 pm every day. I will literally fall asleep in my chair. I now close my office for 20 min a day and I nap. I come back on when I wake and it is up to me to make sure I work the time missed. I could take PTO instead if I choose. I am more productive and my loyalty to the company is well you know, unshakeable. Now not everyone can do that because of the job they have. Yet they are willing to work with everyone within reason. Those who only take a privelage and not give back are soon weeded out. Amazingly the company growth has been phenominal and the team members (we are all team members) are instrumental in this. Happy company’s make excellant products and draw in customers. Thanks

By: Lupe

Lupe — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:17:14 +0000

Angel, Juliana, and Nancy….

I agree with you all and Nancy you nailed it, “The leaders with distorted views of “face time” often have a martyr complex. They work long hours and expect the same of their reports, who may be making a fraction of their pay.”

Just last week, my Manager has changed me from exempt to non exempt supposedly because I did not work 40 hours a week. My manager is single, has no kids, no husband and is a workaholic, she works long hours and I guess she expects me to do the same. I am efficient, organized, and can get my work done in an 8 hour day upset when I have deadlines and special projects. I have a family and four kids, very demanding family life style.

I guess I will also pretend to work; however, my family will suffer and the pay is not the same as my manager. As a matter of fact, she has now even decreased my pay I guess as a punishment.

By: Kara

Kara — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:12:25 +0000

I worked for a company that actually used “average hours worked per week” as a criteria on our year end performance review. You received extra points and a higher overall score if you worked more hours. All salaried employees had to clock in and out every day and a computer system tracked our hours worked. It was ridiculous and counterproductive! Some people worked 10 hours a day but spent most of their time socializing or goofing off. I am a very productive person who can get everything done in 8-9 hours a day because I don’t goof around much, so my overall score was lower. What a bunch of nonsense! I’m so glad I no longer work there.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:58:11 +0000

I completely disagree with the following statement:

“From a practical and cost standpoint, the best solution may be to switch from separate vacation and sick-day benefits to a single paid time off (PTO) bank. When folks have no-questions-asked control over their off days, they’re sometimes more likely to use a PTO day if they’re sick. Of course, you know that PTO carries some risks of its own.”

- A PTO bank does NOT create an environment of “no questions asked.” Whether a PTO Bank or a Sick Bank is in place, calling out sick creates the same results – among managers, fellow staff, etc. Managers mentally keep tabs of how many sick days are taken, and fellow staff have to pitch in to do the work of the absent employee.

- Our company just implemented a separate vacation and sick-day plan and we have had LESS absenteeism as a result. Employees who are truly sick use their sick days to take care of themselves versus coming in to work sick (simply because they don’t want to waste a PTO day). And that enables the employee to get better quicker and not sicken fellow coworkers.

By: J T

J T — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:55:05 +0000

We have a chronic problem with chatterbox presenteeism. There are one or two high level employees who spend a great deal of time chatting. One of them will stop in at different folks offices just to chat. She is very opinionated and likes to talk.This is excused as “team work”. But it is realy gossip time. Often it leads to negative talk about management.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:39:20 +0000

One problem we seem to be having is talking on cell phones. Whether it be in the office or on our heavy machinery, which is not safe either. Even trying to work and be on the phone at the same time is unproductive. Then there are only mistakes to go back and fix. Our percentage here is probably alot more than the average.

By: Nick W.

Nick W. — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:55:19 +0000

I worked at a very large networking company that had PTO. There were two major problems with PTO, the first was face time mentioned above. The second was that everyone wanted their PTO time to only count as vacation. A lot of people would come to work sick and infect others, who would also come in to work sick, infecting others, etc… Luckily, we were so busy acquiring other companies that we could absorb the downtime of sick and face time workers.

By: Beverly

Beverly — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:48:13 +0000

I recently worked for a company that did not pay someone until they had been absent for three days, therefore many people did not utilize their sick time. They also had a policy which you had to be employed six months plus two weeks before you could use PTO or sick time. I, being the a new HR Director, was one of those presentees who was sick and came to work. I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and out of work for 10 days and guess what, I was two days short of my six months, so I did not get paid . If I could have utilized sick time, I would have taken three days off at the end of the week, had the time plus the weekend to recover and most likely would not have gotten pneumonia and lost time and pay, not to mention medical bills. So, if employers were more flexible with the sick time and understanding when employees are truly ill, it would be overall more cost effective and efficient. You get out of employees the same as you put into them. Support, loyalty, and understanding given to employees by upper management and supervisor, in return you will get the same kind of employees.

PS, I am no longer working for that company!

By: Judy Nelson

Judy Nelson — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:13:43 +0000

Victoria,

I’m with a small non-profit who serves children in crisis. The time-off benefits are generous in part because of the high burnout that can happen when working with children and families in crisis. That is also why work schedules are flexible – to accommodate meeting with families (be it before work or after work as well as during normal business hours). The downside is there is a great deal of documentation that is requried of our employees. Being in HR, I don’t deal with the clients directly so I work normal business hours but I do benefit from the time off benefits.