The Cost Of Sickness In Business!

I hate being sick.  Not only can it be extremely unpleasant but have you ever considered what poor health and sickness is costing you in time, progress and revenue in your business?
 
I recently returned home from a family holiday in Bali.  Less than 24 hours after returning on an overnight flight I was feeling severe flu-like symptoms.  The virus flattened me and I was in bed for one week unable to work at all.
 
It certainly wasn’t the fresh start to the year that I had planned, but illness is like that.  It can hit you when you don’t expect it and when it hits you hard all you can do is wait it out.
 
I found myself thinking how grateful I was for my usual good health and the value that adds to my business.  Health is something that is too often overlooked, but when it comes to business the cost of poor health can really add up and be quite detrimental.
 
Absenteeism due to sickness can be very costly, especially to small business.  Have you ever considered the cost of a cancelled potential new client meeting, one or two missed real estate listings or delays on projects resulting in missed deadlines?
 
In some circumstances this could potentially mean losses of thousands of dollars, then double, triple or quadruple that potential loss if you’re absent for multiple times per year.
 
Presenteeism, meaning sick but still at work, doesn’t have the same impact as absenteeism, but is another cost to business.  When I returned to work after my week off, I was still recovering so my productivity levels were quite low and I had to limit my activities.  Research shows that unhealthy people are three times less productive than healthy people. 
 
Prevention is better than cure so preventive health practices can potentially save your business thousands of dollars per year. 

What wellness strategies do you have to protect your health and your business?  It’s worth making it a daily priority.