The term “presenteeism” was first used by Sir Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology and health at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. He recently labelled businesses forcing their employees to return to the office for five working days a week as “our era’s dinosaurs.” He suggested that such mandatory attendance requirements might deter brilliant employees, harm staff welfare, and compromise fiscal performance.
This statement comes following Amazon’s announcement on Monday mandating all corporate employees to return to office work five days a week from 2nd January, joining other large global employers reverting to pre-pandemic norms.
Regrettably, several organisations are contemplating mandating employees to return to the in-person workplace, stated Cooper. He added that these businesses resemble “our era’s dinosaurs”, reflecting an outdated top-down management style.
While Amazon and a few investment banks are advocating for a five-day work week in the office, Cooper argues that this contradicts the evidence. Tactical silence was maintained by Amazon when asked to comment.
According to Cooper, valuing and trusting employees, giving them autonomy – including flexible working conditions – will enhance their performance, increase retention, and decrease the likelihood of stress-related illness. He gave a stern warning against micromanagement, stating it will neither attract nor retain the new generation of workers nor improve productivity.
Having a long-standing reputation as a leading global authority on work organisation, health, and wellbeing, Cooper brought the term “presenteeism” to the forefront in the 1980s. This concept refers to employees’ presence at work but lack of full productivity due to health-related issues.
In the early 2000s, he was a consultant to the government, focusing on employment and wellbeing. His research was instrumental in the extension of the laws on flexible working that was enacted by the Government coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in 2014.
Within a few weeks, Labour is set to introduce far-reaching amendments to employment rights laws. These will include mandating flexible work as the primary choice from the first day of employment and prohibition of abusive zero-hour contracts.
Some leaders in the business community have voiced their apprehension about the extent to which these modifications can affect job development and economic growth. Contrarily, Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, informed the Times on Monday that he intends to abolish the “cult of attendance” that’s stalling the economy.
“It does stimulate productivity and it does build resilience in staff, and their loyalty to an employer,” he stated. Mr Cooper noted that there is compelling evidence showing that flexible employment leads to improved job satisfaction, stronger staff retention and can potentially increase workplace productivity.
“Reynolds is spot on,” he emphasised. “Working more doesn’t improve productivity but results in more sickness absences.”
During the peak of the Covid pandemic, home working surged, causing some experts to forecast a lasting transformation in work structures. Conversely, many companies have implemented policies requiring their employees to return to the office, and stricter rules have since been implemented. Some companies, including Amazon, Boots and Goldman Sachs, have insisted that their employees return to the traditional five-day week at the office.
The CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy, informed his staff in a memo sent on Monday that the company recognises the importance of “the benefits of being office-based”.
However, for Amazon’s warehouse staff, including those in the UK, different conditions apply, such as part-time contracts and a four-day working week.
In the previous month, Amazon UK revealed a survey it sponsored which highlighted that 50% of all workers in the UK desire more work flexibility, primarily to achieve a good work-life balance.
In a public announcement underscoring the pledges of the Labour manifesto concerning flexible work, John Boumphrey, the manager for Amazon in the UK and Ireland, stated that the company was “thrilled” to offer flexible agreements to its warehouse staff.
“These results undeniably show the high value of flexibility at the workplace and why it is so important to workers all over the UK”, he noted.