ALLEVIATE WORKERS' STATE OF “PRESENTEEISM” AND “RESENTEEISM”
As the cost of living continues to soar along with retrenchments on a global scale, employees are left with uncertainty. Bosses can, however, utilise ways to help alleviate workers' state of “Presenteeism” and “Resenteeism” and inject positivity back into their staff.
If you’re of the “old stock” like myself – you know life before cellphones existed and you would have physically used a fax machine. If that’s a silent nod in agreement – then you probably have no cooking clue as I did when hearing workers today are suffering a state of “Presenteeism” and “Resenteeism”. Well, it’s the latest in the string of trendy terms, summed up as two ways of describing workers who are at work, but not happy or particularly productive in their job.
The difference between “Presenteeism” vs “Resenteeism”.
In the case of “Presenteeism” you’re signed in for work and online or physically at the office. You presenting as “Checked In” at your workplace. But you’re not performing your job optimally. You are highly unproductive and usually it’s due to personal problems. This could be issues with your physical or mental health or other distractions unrelated to work.
When you’re down and out with “Resenteeism” on the other hand, it is a deep dissatisfaction and negative mindset to all things work related. According to Recruit CRM – “Resenteeism” sprung up as “a natural predecessor” to a similar concept referred to as “quiet quitting”. You show up but you resent your job and develop a negative attitude – even to fellow co-workers. This often stems from wanting more money, frustration with bad management, the weight of a heavier workload or job insecurity.
As you’ve probably deduced, these two “isms” resulting in the unhappy employee is no new phenomenon. They are just revamped terms for the most common reasons people hate their jobs or threaten to quit altogether.
There are usually several tell-tale signs or symptoms of “Presenteeism” and “Resenteeism”.
The first red flag is a change in attitude or behaviour. You display negativity towards co-workers and superiors. Or a lack of interest in participating in work chats, meetings, requested tasks or projects. Some emotionally disengage where they no longer feel emotionally invested in their job or the company and end up lacking any motivation.
The most obvious one is also a decline in your quality of work such as missing deadlines.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. If of course, employers are willing to pull a staff member out of said rut. According to Recruit CRM, there are ways to help alleviate workers’ state of “Presenteeism” and “Resenteeism”.
Build a positive culture at work – Ways bosses can avoid toxicity in the workplace is transparency. Providing an open-door policy for workers to air their grievances or provide critical input.
“Diversity and inclusion (DEI) efforts should also be a focus, as diverse executive teams are attractive to candidates and employees,” stated Recruit CRM.
Set clear expectations – Sometimes staff feel pressure under the premise of what they may deem as “unrealistic expectations”. This often leads to feelings of resentment. According to Recruit CRM, “it is crucial to establish well-defined expectations which extend beyond project deadlines.”
Develop a program to recognize and reward your employees – Many staff soldier on with their employers during tough economic climates or a pandemic like Covid. By simple acknowledgement or even an incentive every now and then – it can make a critical difference to how your staff feel when they get that token of appreciation.