Do hybrid workers take fewer sick days?
A survey of 2,000 hybrid workers by International Workplace Group has revealed that more than a third are taking fewer sick days than they did when they were working full time in the office. What are the potential reasons for this?
There are numerous reasons why sickness absence rates are lower for hybrid workers than full-time office workers. These include that:
- hybrid workers generally experience less stress, due to spending less time commuting and having a better work-life balance, and stress can manifest itself in physical health issues - the survey also revealed that 68% reported having fewer stress-related physical health symptoms, such as headaches, stomach pains and other digestive issues
- less commuting and less mixing with people in a crowded office means less exposure to viruses
- working from home can enable employees to better manage existing health conditions (69% said this) and/or make time for preventative healthcare, such as regular health check-ups, exercise and other lifestyle changes (71% said this)
- working from home usually allows for more sleep
- employees can often do some work from home when they are ill, whereas they may not travel into the office when ill, i.e. there are often different thresholds for being well enough to go into the office compared to working from home. For example, an employee with norovirus or a similar stomach bug won’t want to get on a busy commuter train, risk passing their virus to colleagues or not have easy access to a private bathroom, so they won’t come into the office, and indeed they should not do so, whereas they might be able to do some work from home.
Alongside many other benefits, a reduction in short-term sickness absence rates is a key benefit for your business of having hybrid working arrangements in place.
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