By Binish Fatima (24-25)

The Hidden Reason Why Your Star Employees are Calling in Sick

If you work in retail or hospitality, you may have come across a star employee who is always reliable, engaged and great with their customers. However, one day, that employee comes in with their energy low, seeming distant, and you notice unexpected absences beginning to pile up. It is simple to label this experience as burnout, an expected and unfortunate consequence of working in a high-pressure job. But what if burnout is not the only direct cause that impacts absences? What if it points to something bigger playing a part in empty shifts? 

This research delves into the UK’s retail and hospitality sectors, revealing a missing link between burnout and absence. The findings point out that burnout does not just exhaust people; it changes their relationship with their employer behind the scenes. It crumbles their belief that their organisation really cares, and so it is this perception of lack of support that makes this star employee stay at home. Understanding this process is important to manage employee absences as well as to retain the most valuable staff. 

Burnout is Not the Full Picture

It is well known that burnout is a serious concern, especially in customer-facing roles. Burnout is defined as a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to stress. It is characterised by feelings of detachment from the job, exhaustion, and a sense of ineffectiveness. In retail and hospitality sectors, where the demand is constant for high emotional regulation and pressure to meet targets, the risk of feeling burnout is exceptionally high. Previous research consistently highlights that due to burnout, employees have poor job performance, lower job satisfaction and therefore are likely to be absent from work. 

However, the simple conclusion that burnout causes absences is not enough. It does not answer why burned-out employees start withdrawing, while some keep pushing through. This study aimed to answer this by exploring the role of Perceived Organisational Support (POS). POS is an employee’s belief that their organisation cares and values their contributions and their well-being. 

The Culprit

The main finding of the study supported that POS acts as mediator between burnout and absenteeism. But what does this actually mean in practice? 

An employee’s energy and motivation can be imagined as a fuel tank. Their daily job includes demanding customers, long hours, high targets, and so these demands use up the fuel, leading to burnout. Of course, when they notice that their tank is almost empty, they turn to their organisation to refill in the form of support and recognition. 

So the following breakdown can help explain why the employees start calling in sick. The chronic burnout the employees face acts as a damaging factor on their belief of support from their employer. This leads them to view every action or inaction negatively. A manager’s ignorance may be evidence that they do not care about their well-being. Alternatively, the lack of recognition or positive feedback may make the employee feel that their hard work goes unnoticed. Additionally, the EAP brochure advertised in the breakroom seems like an empty gesture when their workload remains unmanageable. 

What happens over time is that the employee is convinced by their burnout that their organisation has abandoned them. Their perception of the company’s support severs the bond between the employee and the organisation, impacting their mutual obligation to each other. From here on, absenteeism is not just about recovering from burnout; it is a form of withdrawal. It is a logical response from the employee that they are better off staying at home when their well-being and presence are unimportant to their employer. 

How to Rebuild Bonds and Retain Your Team

There are ways to fix this problem, and it lies in the perception of support, which the managers and organisations have power over to change the narrative. Here are some strategies that organisations can implement: 

1. While the Employee Assistance Program is valuable, it has no purpose if employees are not encouraged to use it. Instead of pointing to resources, organisations should be actively building a culture where seeking help in destigmatized. This move comes from leadership when they can show vulnerability and prioritise well-being. 
2. Organisations should be training their managers to recognise early signs of burnout. A line manager is usually the most accessible representation of the organisation for an employee. By equipping the managers with this vital training consisting of compassionate communication, active listening and checking the team’s workload, will be more effective than a simple company-wide policy.
3. Organisations that think that a wellness app can fix workload have got it wrong. Such organisations are still ignoring the root cause of the stress and therefore sending a message that they are not prioritising employee well-being. Employers should be balancing stressors with resources. A manageable workload, adequate training, and providing employees with some control over their job will help shape their perception of the support they receive from the organisation, and that is what will help reduce burnout and absences. 

Final Thoughts

Although my study saw that women reported higher levels of burnout, the process of burnout was the same for all employees. The damaging effect of burnout on POS is a universal response to feeling undervalued and ineffective. It is impossible to get rid of stress in retail and hospitality completely, but it is about creating a workforce that is resilient to stress by fostering a culture of support. When leadership can prove that they are on their employees’ side in the face of challenging, stressful situations, they are playing a vital role in keeping them present at work and giving them a reason to stay in the long term. 

By Caroline White (24-25)

Why Leadership Well-Being Matters

In today’s high-speed, always-connected working world, leaders are under immense pressure. They’re expected to meet ambitious business goals, manage dispersed teams across time zones, and stay calm under strain — all while modelling resilience and compassion. Over time, this relentless pace can erode well-being, leaving even the most capable leaders drained and disengaged.

Research consistently shows that leadership behaviour is one of the most powerful influences on employee mental health, motivation, and performance (Arnold, 2017; Skakon et al., 2010). Leaders not only shape the psychological safety of their teams — that shared sense of trust that makes it safe to speak up, make mistakes, and learn (Edmondson, 1999) — but also set the tone for recovery and balance. How a leader behaves, communicates, and manages pressure creates ripple effects across the organisation (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017).

Recognising this, Company-X introduced Thrive — a two-day leadership development programme designed to help leaders promote psychological safety and healthy recovery from work. Grounded in organisational psychology and occupational health research, Thrive combines evidence-based teaching with practical reflection to encourage well-being-centred leadership. But training alone doesn’t always guarantee change. My MSc dissertation explored what actually happens when leaders return to work: what enables or prevents them from applying what they learned?

About the Research

I interviewed fifteen leaders from different divisions of Company-X. in a fast-paced, international, remote-working environment. Using qualitative analysis, I identified five key themes that reveal the real-world barriers and enablers that shape whether training translates into meaningful, sustained change.

What We Found

1. Thrive Felt Like a Cultural Turning Point

For many participants, Thrive was more than a training course — it was a statement. Leaders saw it as a visible symbol of Company-X’s commitment to employee well-being and a shift towards more “human” leadership. One participant described it as “a licence to prioritise well-being,” while another said it “gave us permission to lead with empathy.”

This echoes existing research showing that training acts as a signal of organisational values and strengthens employees’ sense of psychological contract — the unwritten expectations that shape trust and engagement (Manuti et al., 2015; Collins & Beauregard, 2020). By dedicating time and resources to Thrive, Company-X communicated that well-being wasn’t just rhetoric — it was an organisational priority.

2. The Delivery Design Really Worked

Thrive’s delivery format — interactive, reflective, and psychologically safe — was one of its strongest assets. Participants described it as “one of the best training experiences” they’d had, praising its blend of group discussion, practical exercises, and personal reflection.

The “letter to self,” where participants wrote a message to revisit months later, was frequently cited as transformative. One leader said:

“I’ve gone back to that letter several times when things felt overwhelming — it reminded me why this mattered.”

This experiential approach aligns with constructivist learning theory, which emphasises that people learn best through active participation, reflection, and real-world relevance (Bell & Kozlowski, 2009; Salas et al., 2012). The social dimension mattered too. Leaders valued connecting with peers across departments — an opportunity rarely available in their busy, siloed roles. These cross-company conversations built shared understanding and reinforced a sense of belonging.

3. But Pressure Didn’t Disappear Outside the Classroom

Despite enthusiasm, most leaders admitted that implementing Thrive principles was challenging once they returned to daily demands. Persistent workload pressures, client expectations, and lack of time made it difficult to sustain new behaviours.

As one participant reflected:

“Thrive told us it’s okay to recover, but the workload hasn’t changed.”

This tension between intent and systemic constraint was a recurring theme. The course encouraged recovery, reflection, and openness — but without corresponding structural support, many found these ideals difficult to sustain. These findings echo broader occupational health research: job demands, limited control, and lack of recovery opportunities can erode well-being and block transfer (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Gonzalez-Mulé & Cockburn, 2020).

4. Leadership Follow-Through Is Everything

If one factor determined whether Thrive’s lessons endured, it was leadership modelling. Teams thrived when managers actively demonstrated what the programme taught — showing vulnerability, taking recovery seriously, and talking openly about well-being.

One participant noted:

“It helps when you see your boss doing it too. It makes it real.”

This aligns with decades of evidence showing that supervisor support and role-modelling are the most powerful predictors of training transfer (Blume et al., 2010; Grossman & Salas, 2011). In Company-X, when senior leaders consistently reinforced Thrive’s principles, positive momentum spread. Conversely, when managers ignored or contradicted the messages, participants felt disillusioned.

Authenticity emerged as key: “If leaders don’t live it,” said one participant, “people see right through it.”

5. One-and-Done Training Isn’t Enough

Even the most inspiring training fades without reinforcement. Many leaders described how enthusiasm dissipated after a few months due to the absence of follow-up, feedback, or accountability mechanisms.

“We started strong, but then it just stopped — no refresher, no reminder, no check-in.”

This pattern is well documented in research on “skill decay.” Without ongoing support, newly learned behaviours decline sharply over time — sometimes by as much as 90% within a year (Arthur et al., 1998; Wang et al., 2013). Participants suggested several solutions: shorter, spaced-out sessions; peer discussion groups; and integration of Thrive principles into performance reviews and team rituals.

Turning Insight into Action

So, what can organisations learn from this research? The findings paint a clear picture: training can spark awareness and signal care, but sustained change requires alignment across individual, leadership, and systemic levels.

For Organisations

• Make well-being visible and continuous. Offer structured follow-ups, refreshers, and feedback loops that reinforce learning over time.
• Reward what you value. Align recognition and promotion systems with well-being-supportive leadership behaviours.
• Empower leaders to act. Give managers realistic autonomy and time to practise well-being principles.
• Model from the top. When executives visibly prioritise health and safety, others feel permitted to do the same (Dollard & Bakker, 2009).

For Leaders

• Create psychological safety. Encourage open dialogue and compassion, especially in high-pressure environments (Edmondson, 1999).
• Model recovery. Show that taking breaks and setting boundaries isn’t weakness — it’s sustainable leadership.
• Reflect often. Revisit your learning goals and use reflection tools (like Thrive’s “letter to self”) to stay accountable.

Final Thoughts

Thrive represents a promising step towards embedding psychological safety and recovery into leadership practice. Participants described it as “refreshing,” “human,” and “necessary” — a sign that the organisation is serious about well-being. But as this study reveals, training alone cannot change culture. True transformation happens when learning is reinforced by systems, supported by leaders, and sustained over time.

Or, as one participant eloquently put it:

“It’s not the course that changes culture — it’s what we do next.”