‘Sick’ days off reduced to just 2.5 per cent of total work hours
A range of initiatives at Sega UK has resulted in lower levels of absence at the firm’s Twickenem headquarters.
The studio has reduced its rate of nonattendance by 5.5 per cent since introducing three initiatives; private medical insurance, childcare vouchers and cycle to work projects.
Sega UK’s HR director Liz Cook told trade magazine Employee Benefits that such initiatives should be introduced with care.
“Do not make huge, formal initiatives,” she said.
“Start small, trial them in pilot areas, and if they are effective roll them out to other parts of the business.”
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Levels of sickness leave have been reduced to just 2.5 per cent among staff.
Doesn't surprise me that some shops have this problem.
In my experience, the relatively informal nature of the workplace lead to what I considered to be shocking levels of absenteeism. Guys were calling in sick 10, 20 or more days per year - just in dribs and drabs, no serious issues, just the usual nonsense.
I found it pretty shocking having come into the industry from outside, where it was much more tightly controlled.
This is only a short term solution. Obvious it will cut down on sick leave, but it doesn't cut down on sickness. Odds are sickness will get worse if people don't take the time off needed to get over something.
I'd rather staff took one day off with a headcold than keep dragging themselves in with the flu getting little work done and infecting everyone else.
Absenteeism in in games development! Blimey, I remember the day when we were in trouble for not going home from the office to bathe after spending a whole WEEK there because we LOVED our jobs - ok, 'we' were all hopeless geeks with nothing better to do with our time back in the 80's but some people ought to sit up and look what they're DOING. I've always regarded being actually paid to do something that I love to be a privilage.
So what is it that's broken these people's spirit and joy for their work? Surely not deadline pressure and crunch time? Crunch is a cancer that's destroying people's lives.
