Present absenteeism
You know those days at the office when you feel preoccupied, it’s hard to stay on task, and work tends to be the last thing on your mind? Physically, you’re at work; mentally, you’re not. This is known as present absenteeism, and, during those workdays, you’re lucky to be functioning at 33% of your norm.
Depression is a leading culprit that creates present absenteeism and must be taken seriously. Dr. John Ratey provides these facts within his book, Spark:
- According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada... ahead of coronary heart disease, any given cancer, and AIDS.
- About 17 million American adults experience depression at some point, to the tune of $26.1 billion in health care costs each year.
Let’s say each of your employees, on a low-ball average, is presently absent five days annually, and, during these days they are functioning at 33% of their natural capacity. Here is the annual total cost of present absenteeism within your company:
| Number of Employees | $35,000 Average Annual Salary | $50,000 Average Annual Salary | |
| 25 | $11,088.00 | $15,840.00 | |
| 100 | $44,352.00 | $63,360.00 | |
| 500 | $221,760.00 | $316,800.00 | |
| 5000 | $281,014.27 | $3,168,000.00 | |
| 15,00 | $6,652,800.00 | $9,504,000.00 |
(Or another way to look at it, if you reduce present absenteeism by five days per employee (annually), this is how much you could recover in engaged productivity.)
These costs don't include sick-days and the fact that 15% of Americans experience major depression episodes annually, which take a minimum of two weeks to overcome.
The good news… you can do something about it.
A 1999 Duke University study proves that every 50 minutes of exercise conducted weekly is correlated to a 50% reduction in the odds of being depressed.
| Number of 50-minute Workouts Weekly | Odds of Being Depressed |
| 0 | 100.00% |
| 1 | 50.00% |
| 2 | 25.00% |
| 3 | 12.50% |
| 4 | 6.25% |
| 5 | 3.16% |
More good news… regular rigorous exercise biologically impacts your brain to generate higher levels of learning, innovation, attention, creativity, self-esteem, and social skills. Also, studies have shown that those who participate in as little as 30-minutes of rigorous exercise first thing in the morning (before work) experience a 15% boost in their productivity that day.
And, remember, healthier people cost less to insure, they go to the doctor far less, and they take far fewer sick-days than those who choose not to exercise.
Lou Holtz said it best, “No one has ever drowned in sweat.”
Join the conversation, subscribe today to receive these blogs via email automatically.
About the Author
Ryan Blanck, CPF, CPT
Ryan, Deviate's founder, is the world's only dual Certified Professional Facilitator and Certified Personal Trainer. His primary clients are visionary leaders, high-performing teams, and accomplished athletes and entertainers.
He is a member of the International Association of Facilitators, American Council on Exercise (ACE), and IDEA Health and Fitness Association. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Freestyle Foundation, a national life-style non-profit, and is a national spokesperson for ACE.
To find out more about Ryan, read his professional bio here.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it