RMIT warns of health and productivity risks from ‘workahomeism’ this winter

With Winter and the corresponding cold and flu season fast approaching, workers who are unwell may find themselves torn between taking a sick day or choosing to push through while working from home, according to RMIT University.|

‘Workahomeism’, as termed by scholars, has potential negative impacts for those who choose not to rest and recuperate, said Dr Lena Wang, associate professor in the school of management and co-director of the Centre for Organisations and Social Change (COSC) at RMIT University.

“Since COVID, managers and employees are now more conscious of the health risks when people come to work sick, so we are seeing people show up in-person less when they are physically unwell,” she said.

“We do know that even before pandemic, there are many organisations and managers who demand, or at least expect, that their employees to come to work even when those people are very unwell, and those behaviours would not go away. Hence, I do believe that we will be seeing a lot of organisations that think ‘workahomeism’ is acceptable and either explicitly or implicitly endorse it.”

Wang said scholars have found that when employees considered engaging in workahomeism, they anticipated feeling less guilty than when resting at home. However, their research found that these employees felt as guilty or even more guilty than when resting at home.

Even though working from home while sick reduces the risks of spreading viruses to others, it can still have negative consequences for employees and businesses.

Some managers may think that ‘workahomeism’ is better than taking sick leave, as employees are still working, however, Wang said the reality is that employees will not be performing at their optimal level – despite wanting to create an image of themselves being conscientious and hardworking.

“For instance, their brain can be foggy, they may need more frequent breaks and rests, and as a result, have a lower productivity compared to when they are healthy and well. If managers work out the costs and returns for the business in such a situation, they may be better asking employees to take sick leave. So, there is a clear business case to reduce ‘workahomeism’,” she said.

While the decision about taking sick leave does rest with employees themselves, Wang said organisations and managers should look to create a culture that encourages employees to take care of their health, and make sure they don’t feel bad or guilty for taking leave when needed.

“Employees not taking the rest when they need it most could delay their recovery, ending up being unwell for a much longer period of time,” she said.

“And when they do so, they also likely experience negative emotions for longer, for instance, they could be feeling guilty for not being able to deliver work at their optimal level and letting the team down, and they could also be feeling guilty for not looking after themselves and letting themselves down. If experienced over a longer timeframe, these emotions could make us feel worse overall,” she said.

“Managers, organisations and OHS/HR professionals need to facilitate a culture where ‘workahomeism’ is not the default setting. By explicitly recognising the downside of working at home while being sick and communicating that employees’ health and wellbeing is the utmost priority, they could reduce the implicit pressure that employees experience to ‘always be present’.”