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The problems we help solve

Let's start with the 'isms'

Absenteeism, Presenteeism and Leavism

 

Symptoms your organisation isn't healthy

 

Absenteeism

 

Absenteeism occurs when people are sick, injured, unwell or are unable to come to work due to circumstances such as bereavement.

  • Absenteeism is expensive

  • The Office for National Statistics estimates that 141.4 million working days are lost due to sickness or injury in the UK, this is equivalent to 4.4 days per worker. 

  • Analysis published in January 2020 found that poor mental health alone costs UK employers up to £45bn each year, comprising £7bn in absence costs and up to £29bn in presenteeism costs.

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/absenteeism-presenteeism-leaveism/94153/

 

Presenteeism

 

Presenteeism occurs when people go into work despite feeling unwell, either physically or mentally, and they are unable to give their best.

The silent sufferer that is Presenteeism

  • Findings from a survey of 26,393 employees and 130 businesses across the UK suggest that the problem is a real one and that it is only getting worse.

  • It has been estimated that Presenteeism’s impact on productivity is 12 times higher than Absenteeism.

  • 45% of UK workers have admitted they experienced Presenteeism in 2019, which is an increase of almost one-third from 2014 (29%).

  • Similarly, Deloitte found that only 36% of UK employees were taking allocated time off when they experienced health issues, rather than calling in sick.

  • However, just being physically present is not good for people or your business, when people come to work ill, they are at risk of exposing their co-workers to infection.

  • 80% of UK employees work when sick

 

Leaveism

Closely linked to Presenteeism, Leaveism is a relatively new phenomenon where employees continue to work outside of office hours to complete their tasks as they are unwilling to switch off from their job.

  • People will also misuse flexitime, annual leave, or rest days to cope with workloads and it is becoming increasingly common due to the technology that enables it.

  • recent report by Deloitte found that 51% of UK employees were working outside contracted hours. 

  • While 63% of respondents to the CIPD’s recent Health and Well-Being at Work Survey said they had observed Leaveism being practised within their organisation, more worryingly, 55% said their organisation had taken no measures to address the issue. 

  • Unlike Absenteeism, Leaveism can be hard to identify or measure, employees often do not want to speak up or admit they are unable to complete their workload during allocated office hours due to concerns that such an admission could damage their work reputation.

  • With 64% of the global workforce facing high anxiety over their personal job security, it is likely Leaveism will be increasingly more difficult to address. 

  • However, Leaveism must be tackled. If people cannot disconnect or raise the issue, it can have a long-term negative impact on their wellbeing, morale, and mental health.

  • Organisations can, however, reduce these figures by actively engaging in a range of health and wellbeing initiatives in a consistent and cohesive way.

 

What are we doing wrong?

We cause our own issues

  • 52% arise from too many targets and priorities

  • 36% to a heavy workload, having to work overtime and rarely taking leave

  • 35% is attributed to not being supported in their role

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/consultancy/deloitte-uk-mental-health-and-employers.pdf

Lack of job control

  • The amount of discretion employees have to determine what they do and how they do it has a major impact on their physical and mental health. 

  • Whitehall studies have shown rank plays a part too. The higher the rank the lower the incidence of and mortality cardiovascular disease. The inverse is true for lower rank employees with low empowerment.

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-overlooked-essentials-of-employee-well-being#

Competition over collaboration

Pitting employees against one another weakens social ties among employees and reduces social support that produces healthier workplaces.

Impact

1 in 6 workers are experiencing mental health issues at any one time, stress, anxiety and depression are thought to be responsible for almost half of all lost working days in the UK.

 

Covid

  • Satisfaction with relationships—a critical contributor to well-being has declined significantly. 

  • In the UK, nearly a quarter of people in April 2020 said that the crisis was negatively affecting their relationships. Across Europe, the proportion of people stating that they felt lonely “most or all of the time” almost tripled, from 6 to 17 percent.

  • 41% Of Americans struggle with mental health issues stemming from covid 19. This number increases to 75% in 18 to 24 year olds.

 

Covid is leaving big scars

  • Long term unemployment

  • Mental health issues

  • Delayed healthcare

  • Reduction in exercise

17% of people in France and 34% of people in Italy aren’t exercising enough, with the UK and Germany falling between these figures.

Positive case for investment into wellbeing

Employers find the average rate of return is £5 for every £1 spent

 

Change in expectations

As millenials and Gen Z fill up our team and offices the expectation of investment of employee wellbeing grows.

In a recent study commissioned by classpass, they share “75% of professionals surveyed believe it is their employer’s responsibility to contribute to their health and wellbeing.”

Rise! Health and wellness benefits
  • Employees are looking for health and wellness benefit options that match their lives and needs, which statistics clearly back. 

  • According to MetLife’s 2019 Employee Benefit Trends Study

  • 55% of participants said they “would be more interested in working for a company that offered these types of benefits (holistic)”.

  • 53% of those surveyed said they “would be more loyal to a company that offered these types of benefits”

  • 52% said they “would be more successful in both work and life” if they had access to holistic benefits.

The reason for shoogle to exist is overwhelming. 

Shoogle needs to exist because there isn't an alternative to existing wellbeing platforms that emphasise community, connection and intrinsic motivation in the same way. Shoogle reflects the complex nature of our wellbeing and provides a platform for us to create our own goals and then invites others to join in. It's not all about going solo, following a plan and getting a badge. We're about community, we're about the journey, we're about sharing, caring and helping each other out.

 

We believe shoogle will be a catalyst for motivation and transformational change, for personal development and growth. It's a safe place to be, a place you buddy up, be vulnerable and encourage each other to grow.

Listen, we aren't a silver bullet. What we're doing is creating the space and the environment for your employees, teams and departments to engage with their wellbeing so that all of the above has a real chance of being worked on in a proactive fashion. Yes, some offer you fancy dashboards and this % went up and then down, but we're not robots, we're embracing the messiness of wellbeing and it's a genuine attempt to help you thrive. 

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