by Dell Dorn
The causes of presenteeism can be varied and complex. One such cause is pain. Whether the individual is experiencing pain from an injury or a stress headache, employees who are at work with and experiencing pain are likely to be less productive. Intuitively and logically, we understand that an employee enduring pain while at work has a greater difficulty concentrating and focusing on the task at hand. The resulting performance in the workplace environment is presenteeism.
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Definition of Presenteeism:
The practice of coming to work despite illness, injury, anxiety, etc., often resulting in reduced productivity.
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Presenteeism is difficult to measure and very few employers actually attempt to quantify it. However, most employers agree that presenteeism has a direct impact on productivity and morale. Employers concerned about the productivity of their workforce, along with the benefits of positive employee morale, need new tools to address and combat presenteeism.
Forward-thinking employers implement innovative measures to disrupt the cycle of employee pain, thus eliminating a direct threat to productivity. The DORN Pain-Free™ Treatment Program delivers hands-on manual therapy at the worksite, providing a sustainable solution to presenteeism. With an evidence-based approach to treat painful muscular and headache symptoms, DORN quickly and effectively disrupts the cycle of pain and presenteeism.
Research shows that when absenteeism, low productivity, medication costs, and other costs associated with pain are added together, musculoskeletal pain is 4 times more expensive for employers than any other medical condition. Studies have found that “on-the-job losses from presenteeism are 60 percent of the total cost of worker illnesses.”1 Meanwhile, another study demonstrated that an overwhelming proportion – 70 percent – of the full cost of poor employee health is caused by absenteeism and presenteeism. 2
Presenteeism is a costly phenomenon in the workforce. Employers often find it hard to measure the cost and generally want to quantify results. DORN delivers results. A University of California study found that employees’ production and performance improved when their pain and discomfort were reduced with the DORN Pain-Free Treatment. Our on-site therapy targets high-risk as well as low and medium-risk workers. The effective early intervention and prevention program treats employees with repetitive and strenuous tasks, along with employees in the low and medium-risk groups. When treated with the DORN Pain-Free Treatment program, employees rarely need light duty, job rotation, or job restrictions, and worker productivity increases immediately.
The DORN Pain-Free Treatment program reduces lost productivity associated with employee muscular injuries, while the employer realizes significant reductions in medical and workers’ compensation claims and costs. We have no room for complacency, as it only perpetuates the status quo. Our clients average over a 50% reduction on direct costs with the Pain-Free™ Program. Colorado State University found a 292% ROI using DORN’s early intervention manual therapy.3
Contact us and we’ll demonstrate our effective alternative to reducing the number of your employees struggling with presenteeism and the severity of their productivity-draining conditions.
- “Economists Coin New Word, ‘Presenteeism,’ To Describe Worker Slowdowns That Account For Up To 60% Of Employer Health Costs,” Cornell University Press, April 20, 2004.
- Loeppke R, Taitel M, Haufl e V, Parry T, Kessler RC, Jinnett K, ”Health and Productivity as a Business Strategy: A Multi-Employer Study,” Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine, 2009, 51(4):411–428, pp. 140-152.
- "Preliminary Trial on the Effectiveness of Early Intervention Manual Therapy in Reducing Costs of Presenteeism Due to Musculoskeletal Pain,” IHPM Journal, 2007.
