Why the current approach to workplace absenteeism falls short
Workplace absenteeism and presenteeism have become two of the main challenges facing organisations. However, much of the current discourse still points in a single direction: the company as the main party responsible.
For those of you working in:
- OHS (Occupational Health and Safety)
- Health surveillance
- HSE
- Corporate health and wellbeing
- People & Culture
- …
this approach is limited. And, in many cases, not very useful for effectively reducing absenteeism and presenteeism.
The reality is more complex — and understanding it properly is key to acting better.
In our case, this view is not theoretical. At openhealth by opensalud we work with major companies across Europe and Latin America, supporting the health of more than 120,000 employees. This experience allows us to directly observe how absenteeism and presenteeism evolve across different contexts, sectors and countries.
What companies are already doing to reduce absenteeism
In recent years, occupational health in the workplace has evolved significantly.
Today, many organisations are already taking clear action to reduce absenteeism and improve wellbeing:
More comprehensive workplace wellbeing programmes
These have been expanded to include:
- Mental health
- Emotional wellbeing
- Habit improvement
- Nutrition or physical exercise, among others
Strengthened health surveillance
With a more preventive, and not merely reactive, approach.
Training in healthy leadership
Managers are beginning to play a key role in:
- Detecting psychosocial risks
- Managing the team through a wellbeing lens
Integration into business strategy
Workplace absenteeism is now analysed alongside:
- Productivity
- Engagement
- Results
This progress is real. But it isn’t enough on its own.
Causes of workplace absenteeism: a multifactorial problem
To understand how to reduce absenteeism and improve presenteeism, it’s necessary to accept that it doesn’t depend on the company alone.
There are multiple external factors at play:
Labour market factors
- Low unemployment
- Changes in people’s relationship with work
Health and demographic factors
- Ageing of the working population
- Rise in chronic illnesses
- Overloaded healthcare systems
Mental health and social context
- Rising emotional distress
- Lower resilience in certain population groups
Regulatory factors
- Greater regulatory complexity
- Increased burden in OHS and health
This context explains why, even when doing more, many companies fail to reduce absenteeism or improve presenteeism.
Workplace presenteeism: the invisible problem
Workplace presenteeism remains one of the great hidden challenges.
People who show up for work, but:
- With low performance
- With unaddressed health problems
- With demotivation or fatigue
The impact is direct on:
- Productivity
- Quality of work
- Workplace climate
And, unlike absenteeism, it is much harder to measure and manage.
The new role of OHS, HSE and health surveillance
The role of health teams has changed.
Today it’s not just about compliance, but about influencing behaviour and organisational culture.
This involves working on:
Psychosocial prevention
Identifying and acting before the problem appears.
Wellbeing strategy
Designing programmes aligned with real objectives.
Data analysis
Cross-referencing information on:
- Workplace absenteeism
- Health surveillance
- Programme usage
Influencing leadership
Supporting managers in managing their team’s wellbeing.
The factor that makes the difference: internal communication and middle management
One of the biggest blind spots in many strategies to reduce workplace absenteeism isn’t in the design… but in the execution.
And here there are two critical elements:
Effective internal communication
Many organisations have good wellbeing programmes that:
- Aren’t understood
- Aren’t remembered
- Aren’t perceived as relevant
Without clear, segmented and ongoing communication:
📉 usage drops
📉 impact disappears
Communication isn’t just support.
It’s part of the health programme itself.
Real activation of middle management
The manager (shift leads, store managers…) is the most direct point of contact with the employee.
And, in practice, they are the ones who determine whether a strategy works or not.
Because they are the ones who:
- Detect changes in behaviour
- Set the tone for the team’s climate
- Legitimise (or not) the use of programmes
- Influence perceptions of wellbeing
However, many organisations:
- Give them responsibility
- But not the tools or support
Activating middle management involves:
- Practical training (not just theoretical)
- Clear messaging about their role
- Integration into the health strategy
- Measuring their impact
When this doesn’t happen, even the best initiatives lose effectiveness.
The most common mistake: assuming everything depends on the company
One of the main mistakes when addressing workplace absenteeism is thinking that:
More investment = less absenteeism
But reality shows that this isn’t always the case.
A company implementing workplace wellbeing programmes:
- Is positive
- Generates impact
- Can improve indicators
But it doesn’t mean it controls the final outcome.
When this isn’t taken into account:
- Unrealistic expectations are created
- Ineffective strategies are designed
How to reduce workplace absenteeism: a shift in approach
The most significant change isn’t in doing more, but in doing it better.
❌ Traditional approach
The company “looks after” the employee
→ low engagement
→ limited impact
✅ Current approach
The company activates people in their own health
This involves:
Designing programmes that drive action
It’s not enough to offer resources; you need to achieve real usage, and for that it’s necessary to design broad-spectrum programmes rather than limiting yourself (for example) to emotional health.
Segmenting by risk profile
Not all employees need the same thing.
Measuring impact on key indicators
- Absenteeism
- Participation
- Health progress
Integrating health into the culture
Not as an isolated initiative, but as part of everyday life.
Activating communication and leadership
Because without:
- effective communication
- middle management engagement
there is no real adoption.
A shared responsibility: the key to progress
Workplace absenteeism and presenteeism are not a problem exclusive to the company.
They are the result of:
- Organisational factors
- Social factors
- Individual factors
That’s why effective solutions require a shared approach:
✔ The company enables
✔ OHS and health teams lead with expertise
✔ Managers activate
✔ People engage
How we’re approaching this at opensalud
At opensalud we work with organisations looking to go beyond the traditional wellbeing model, currently supporting more than 120,000 employees at major companies across Europe and Latin America.
This experience has allowed us to identify a clear pattern: the initiatives that really reduce workplace absenteeism aren’t the ones that do the most, but the ones that best activate people and the organisation.
Our approach is based on:
- Activating people, not just offering services, which requires programmes to be comprehensive and inclusive.
- Integrating health, behaviour and data
- Involving middle management as a key lever
- Designing communication strategies that drive real usage
Because reducing workplace absenteeism isn’t about doing more actions, but about getting people to genuinely engage.