© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 1© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
prepared for: CIGNAMay 2008
The 2008 Health Leadership Series:
Absenteeism and Presenteeism
The New Productivity Gap?
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 2© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• About half (46%) of those employed have missed at least one day for personal reasons in the past six months
46%
39%
13%
10%
8%
4%
4%
7%
53%
1%
Any (Net)
1-5 (Subnet)
1
2
3
4
5
6 or more (Subnet)
None
Don't know/Refused
How many days in the past six months did you miss work for reasons other than a holiday or a vacation?
Nearly Half of All Employees Missed Work in the Past Six Months for Reasons other than Holiday or Vacation
Average Number of Days Missed per
Employee in the last 6 months:
3(Among total, N = 1,149)
*Base: Among Total, N = 1,149
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 3© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• 47% of those who missed work in the last 6 months say the main reason was due to an illness
• While 22% say they missed work due to family issues, such as caring for a sick child, or problems with other family members
47%
22%
9%
6%
5%
3%
2%
2%
2%
2%
12%
1%
Illness (Net)
Family-related issues (Net)
Had to go to the doctor
Took a mental health day/Needed a break
Injury
Pain
Difficulty commuting/Transportation issues
Tired/Fatigued
Funeral/Death/Bereavement
Court/J ury Duty
Other
Don't know/Refused
What were the main reasons for missing work on those particular days?
The Principal Reasons for Their Absence: Being Sick & Family Issues
Main Reasons %
Illness 47
Ordinary illness/Sick (cold, flu, cough, etc) 41
Ongoing illness/Condition (diabetes, heart, etc)
6
Family-related issues 22
Cared for a sick child 10
Cared for another sick family member 6
Problems with other family members 4
Problems with kids 3
Couldn't find child care 2*Base: Among those who missed any days of work in the past 6 months for reasons other than holiday/vacation, N = 528
(Unaided, pre-coded list. Multiple responses accepted.)
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 4© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• Just under two-thirds of employees went to work in the last six months even though they were sick or had to deal with some other issue
• On average, they went to work despite their ailment or issue seven times in the last six months
61%
40%
6%
8%
9%
5%
12%
21%
37%
2%
Any (Net)
1-5 (Subnet)
1
2
3
4
5
6 or more (Subnet)
None
Don't know/Refused
And how many days in the last six months did you go to work even though you were sick or had some other issue that you had to deal with outside of work? Other issues, for example, could be
a sick child at home or problems with other family members.
Many “Press On” and Go to Work Anyway
Average Number of “Presenteeism” Days
per Employee in the last 6 months:
6.9(Among Total, N = 1,149)
*Base: Among Total, N = 1,149
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 5© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• During a typical week, employed U.S. adults spend 2.4 hours at work trying to resolve their personal issues
55%
47%
26%
11%
3%
2%
5%
8%
44%
1%
Any (Net)
1-5 (Subnet)
1
2
3
4
5
6 or more (Subnet)
None
Don't know/Refused
During a typical week at work, how many hours would you say you spend on resolving personal issues such as making doctors appointments, communicating with a teacher
from your child’s school, talking with a caretaker for an aging parent, etc.?
Over Half Spend Time at Work Trying to Resolve Their Personal Issues
Average Number of Hours in a Typical Week Spent
Resolving Personal Issues (per Employee):
2.4(Among Total, N = 1,149)
*Base: Among Total, N = 1,149
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 6© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• During these particularly stressful or eventful weeks, employed adults spend an average of 4.7 hours while at work trying to resolve their personal issues
68%
51%
20%
12%
6%
5%
7%
17%
27%
5%
Any (Net)
1-5 (Subnet)
1
2
3
4
5
6 or more (Subnet)
None
Don't know/Refused
How about during a particularly stressful or eventful week, what is the most time you have ever spent resolving personal issues while at work?
During a Particularly Stressful or Eventful Week, Over Two-Thirds Spend Time Resolving Personal Issues at Work
Average Number of Hours During a Stressful/Eventful
Week Spent Resolving Personal Issues (per
Employee):
4.7(Among Total, N = 1,149)
*Base: Among Total, N = 1,149
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 7© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• 62% of those who went to work even though they were sick or had to deal with some other issue say they were less productive on those days
11%
51%
37%
0%
1%
Significantly less
productive
Somewhat less
productive
J ust as productive
More productive (vol.)
Don't know/Refused
On those days where you went to work even though you were sick or had to deal with some other issue, to what extent did it impact your productivity? Were you…
Presenteeism Leads to Lower Productivity
62% say theywere less productive onsuch days
*Base: Among those who went to work even though they were sick or had some other issue in the past 6 months, N = 696
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 8© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• Three in four of those who were less productive say they are concerned about going to work when they are not able to perform their best
Yes, 61%
No, 37%
Not sure/Maybe, 2%
Do you think your co-workers noticed that you were less productive?
More than Half Say Their Co-Workers Noticed This Lower Productivity
75%
36%
39%
25%
17%
8%
Concerns you (Net)
Yes, it concerns you very much
Yes, somewhat
Doesn't concern you (Net)
No, not very much
No, it doesn't concern you at all
Does it concern you to go to work when you’re not able to perform your best? Would you say…
*Base: Among those who went to work even though sick or had some issue and were less productive, N = 429
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 9© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
38%
25%
8%
8%
6%
6%
4%
4%
2%
2%
16%
2%
Needed at work/Work ethic (Net)
Needed the money
Thought I could tough it out
Couldn't find someone to cover shift
Had a deadline
Ran out of/Didn't want to use PTO/Sick/Vacation days
Too hard/Stressful to catch up on work when I get back
Employer does not offer sick time or paid-time off
Had an important meeting
Fear of getting fired
Other
Don't know/Refused
• Two-fifths of employees say they went to work anyway because of their work ethic, dedication to their job, or that their company/coworkers need them
• One in four say they went because they needed the money
Why did you feel the need to go to work even though you were sick or had some other issue?
For U.S. Employees: Duty Calls
*Base: Among those who went to work even though sick or had some issue in the past 6 months, N = 696
[Unaided, pre-coded list. Multiple responses accepted.]
Main Reasons %
Needed at work/Work ethic 38
Company/Co-workers need me 20
Didn't want to burden others with work/Absence
9
Didn’t want to look uncommitted 5
Strong work ethic 3
Dedicated to my job 1
Ran out of (or don’t want to use) vacation time/PTO/Sick days
6
Did not want to use my paid-time off days 4
Ran out of sick days 2
Ran out of vacation/PTO days 1
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 10© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• With two-thirds reporting they do not get enough sleep
66%
45%
12%
33%
21%
34%
Don't get enough sleep
(Net)
Has impact (Subnet)
A significant impact
Somewhat of an
impact
No impact at all
You get enough sleep
To what extent has a lack of sleep made an impact on your work performance? Would you say it has had…
Nearly Half Say Lack of Sleep Has Made an Impact on Their Work Performance
*Base: Among Total, N = 1,149
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 11© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• Half said they were less productive in the past week due to lack of sleep • Two-fifths said they were irritable, unable to focus, and/or had to put things off
85%
50%
43%
42%
40%
28%
18%
12%
9%
1%
13%
2%
Any (Net)
Were less productive
Were irritable
Were unable to focus
Put things off for another day
Made mistakes
Were late to work
Fell asleep
Left work early
Other
Lack of sleep does not impact my work performance
Don't know/Refused
How has a lack of sleep affected your work performance in the PAST WEEK?
Would you say you…
Lower Productivity, Irritability, and an Inability to Focus Are the Top “Side-Effects”
*Base: Among those whose lack of sleep has affected work performance, N = 515
[Aided list. Multiple responses accepted.]
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 12© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
• 88% of employed U.S. adults said they use at least one strategy so that lack of sleep will not impact their performance at work
88%
57%
50%
44%
41%
39%
20%
15%
7%
2%
4%
6%
2%
Any Strategy
You drink coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages
You drink lots of water
You listen to music
Taking a walk
Stretching
Napping
You take smoke breaks
You work on a puzzle
Other
None of these
Lack of sleep is not an issue (vol.)
Don't know/Refused
What strategies have you used so that lack of sleep won’t affect your performance at work? Would you say…
Strategies to Stay Alert: Caffeine is the Top Choice
*Base: Among Total, N = 1,149
[Aided list, multiple responses accepted.]
© Yankelovich, Inc. 2006The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich 13© Yankelovich, Inc. 2008The Segmentation Company a division of Yankelovich
Survey Methodology
• Telephone interviews were conducted among a national probability sample of 1,149 part or full time employed individuals 18 years of age or older, living in private households in the continental United States.
• This random-digit-dial sample was fully replicated and stratified by region. Only one interview was conducted per household. All sample numbers selected were subject to up to four attempts to complete an interview.
• The interviews took place between the 8th and 11th of May, 2008.
• Data are weighted by age, gender, geographic region, and race to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the population.
• The sampling error for this study is +/- 2.9%.
• The sample comprised 61% self-described white collar, 25% blue collar, and 12% service workers, with 2% not reporting.