The changing face of sick-leave: survey results

Working is shown to be beneficial to health. Most people on sick leave want to work or return to work earlier if possible. Whats more, not being at work has shown to have detrimental affects on employees health.

The Stamina Helse Occupational health survey from 2019, showed that even before the pandemic hit and disrupted normal work practices that workplaces in Scandinavia were not effectively managing employees sick leave and workplace welfare.

72% of all employees are open to discussing facilitation options

• 72% of all employees are open to discussing facilitation options to continue working when they report sick leave.
• Yet under 50% of leaders offer the discussion, leaving many at home to recover when they could be at work recovering better.

This report also highlighted how generational shifts are changing demands on employers and that sick leave and workplace welfare are becoming more complex issues for leaders to handle effectively.

25% of all sick leave are officialy due to pyschosocial factors

25% of all sick leave are officialy due to pyschosocial factors. However, we know this to be undertsated. Phyhosocial factors also have a tendency to lead to physical conditions such as back and neck pain. Physical symptoms are more commonly reported earlier to health practitioners and are recorded as the cause of the work absence.

Younger generations expect different follow-up by their leaders than older workers and 24hr lifestyle factors play a big part in their workplace health.

33% of employees want the doctor involved in their follow-up

• 33% of employees want the doctor or occupational health involved in their workplace welfare and sick-leave management.
• 52% of employees want an open dialogue with their leader around organising their work and their workplace health.

A bad workplace welfare and sick leave management culture contributes to higher sick leave

50% of sick leave is caused by the workplace

• 50% of sick leave is caused by the workplace and 70% of this is caused directly by the leadership.
• 75% of employees say they need to do extra work because of a colleague’s sick leave, and a high percentage state that it has a negative effect on their everyday work.

Good leadership management is one of the most important things in preventing sick leave and preventative measures are the only way to tackle the rise in mental illness.

Workability helps organisations develop a workplace culture for open communication, inclusivity in organising work, health based facilitation and co-ordinated employee follow-up.