Tag: presenteeism

At first, out‑of‑town work trips might have felt like a promotion. You represented the company, were sent to “make things happen”, flew Premium Economy, stayed in a fashionable hotel, networked and hopefully, secured new business. But after some time, red-eyes, quick turnarounds and other travel pressures started wearing thin. So, you begin checking out mentally. You wonder why this could not have been a Teams call. You also wonder why every “quick” trip requires intense preparation, domestic juggling and days of unscheduled recovery time.

Globally, there has been a significant uptick in the prevalence of depression and anxiety post the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Africa, it is estimated that one in six people suffer from anxiety, depression, or substance abuse and more than half of the population is possibly dealing with some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. Another study estimated that a third of people suffer from a mental illness and of that figure, 75% won’t receive any treatment.

The world of work is evolving and while we have seen some positive changes to the workplace since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a change taking place that negatively impacts our businesses, community and economy. It is the greater decline of women in the workplace.

There has never been a more critical time than now for employers to celebrate worker’s month by providing their employees with structured wellbeing programmes with a particular focus on financial wellbeing that can ultimately affect the bottom line if not managed effectively.