Absenteeism is a direct drain on workplace productivity. This was never more consequential than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates note absenteeism measures surged globally with the successive waves of the pandemic as employees became ill, family members needed care as they fell ill, and employees were exposed to COVID-19 so missed work while isolating. Long-COVID has added to this productivity drain with US estimates of $170-230 billion in lost wages annually. The economic impact of acute COVID-19 absenteeism is estimated at $62 billion annually1.
Other common infectious diseases like influenza and norovirus are also drags on employee productivity with their annual outbreaks or outbreaks in children like measles that can pull parents out of work. The biggest blindspot for employers though in terms of productivity losses from infectious diseases is the development of new pandemics. Other/new pandemic pathogens are expected in the coming years, with massive potential associated absenteeism. PHC Global’s forte is managing risk from infectious disease outbreaks that lead to absenteeism.
How does PHC Global reduce workplace absenteeism for our customers? Our approach is multi-pronged and evident in our Pharos platform and the API’s we provide to integrate in our customers’ platforms. We produce practical, high-quality products that help CSO’s and people-leaders keep their workplaces operational in the face of infection stressors. Those products derive their utility from PHC’s bedrock that rests on:
Expertise – PHC Global’s experts are the core of everything we do. Our team is composed of leaders in the fields of communicable disease spread (epidemiology), data management and analysis, infectious disease clinical care, public health systems, software development, communications, and other fields. We bring these diverse skill sets together in a unique synergy that benefits our customers.
Freedom from political influence – Our guidance is evidence based and experience based. We are not beholden to political agendas or limited by bureaucratic restrictions on the guidance we give our customers.
Timely Intelligence – Early warning is key. What would you do with a week to prepare for an outbreak that will impact your operations? Two weeks? Four weeks? The intelligence pertaining to emerging outbreaks that we offer our customers is driven by our unique blend of extraordinary data inputs, utilizing AI curation tools. The intelligence is then expertly curated for accuracy, relevance, and degree of confidence. It is offered to our customers before competitors become aware of the threats from their more-traditional sources of infection news. The PHC Alerts, Analysis, and Critical Threat products exemplify this approach.
Practical guidance for the workplace and workforce – We work with customers to create practical measures they can choose to implement in their workplaces and with their employees. Depending upon the work environment and pathogen in question, these measures may include the use of room air filters, sick-leave policies, workplace process modifications, masking, ventilation enhancements, work-from-home triggers, vaccine education, travel guidance, and others. In times of uncertainty, employees appreciate having a trusted source for unbiased, evidence based measures they can take to protect themselves. Similarly, employers appreciate having a trusted source they can turn to during those times. PHC’s customizable, geography-specific alerts and guidance aid in workforce planning when new infections are looming, or when previously known infections are surging.
Communications – PHC Global offers email notifications so you can have alerts and guidance delivered directly to your inbox. PHC even has more detailed guidance on best practices for workplaces to reduce infection transmission. We work with customers to manage their employee communications at critical junctures. In outbreaks, information voids tend to be filled by inaccurate information that has the potential to curtail productivity. CSO’s and people leaders can turn to PHC Global as a trusted voice in such uncertain times. Misinformation and disinformation can be combated by PHC’s many avenues of communication with customers and their employees.
Geographic Relevance – Customers can choose regions of geographic relevance to them in Pharos, targeting what is most important to their business. This is customizable to each user, to be specific to the needs of different functions.
In this era of global travel and global interdependence, infections travel faster than ever before. Their ability to drive absenteeism, therefore, is increased. CEO’s, COO’s, CSO’s and people leaders need resources they can turn to to protect corporate operations at such times. PHC Global’s extraordinary combination of deep expertise, customizable interface, and emphasis on practical guidance is the resource such leaders need on their side.
