Research from XpertHR puts sickness absence at 6.5 days per employee during 2014. Absence management is an increasingly complex area for businesses to deal with, while also having to cope with the pressures that absenteeism brings on day-to-day tasks and overall productivity.
Many organisations have targets for reducing absence. But reaching these targets requires effective absence management. The CIPD recommends that organisations and businesses focus on health promotion and employee wellbeing.
In this context, should businesses look at alternative ways of treating ailments?
Expressing Stress
“Stress is a common cause of workplace absence and it can prove difficult to treat, because of the different symptoms associated with it,” explains Emma Guy, Cheshire-based acupuncturist.
Emma runs Acupuncture That Works, treating many patients suffering from stress.
“Stress often expresses itself through physical symptoms,” she points out, “and these can include headaches, insomnia and even muscle and joint pain.”
In this sense, stress can be a hidden cause, presenting itself with symptoms which the sufferer, and possibly their employer, does not realise are connected with a condition typically thought of as being mental or emotional in nature.
Relief and Release
Addressing the causes of stress is the key to effective treatment. With the increase of stress as a condition affecting millions of people, so there is a corresponding increase in the number of different treatments available.
One alternative is traditional Chinese acupuncture, which has been shown to have positive results in stress sufferers.
Acupuncture targets specific areas of the brain, acting to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, while at the same time encouraging a sense of relaxation.
“It’s about deactivating the brain’s analytical function, where anxiety and worry come from,” Emma says. “and activating the specific nervous system that opposes rather than promotes stress, and so initiating the relaxation response.”
For such an old, established technique, acupuncture actually operates in quite a sophisticated way, helping the brain release serotonin and endorphins and regulating their levels.
“I’ve treated many patients who, as a result of their high stress jobs, were suffering from physical and mental ailments. In each case, after just a couple of acupuncture treatments, they began to feel relaxed and rejuvenated”
Emma Guy, Acupuncture That Works
Employers looking for ways to combat stress and absenteeism may want to consider acupuncture. It might have the right answers for helping their workforce get back to work.
To discover more about how Acupunture That Works can reduce absenteeism and / or stress in your workplace:
- Call 0800 051 76 88
- Visit acupuncturethatworks.co.uk
- Read about their success stories here
Only trained and licensed acupuncture practitioners should carry out acupuncture treatments. Always look for an ATCM-approved acupuncturist. ATCM is the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture UK.
