The number of sick calls at work is almost back to the level it was before the corona pandemic. However, the share of so-called psychological absenteeism has actually risen sharply. According to figures from health and safety service providers HumanCapitalCare and ArboNed, this type of absenteeism is now about 10 percent higher than in the same period in 2019.
“That’s a lot,” says company doctor and director of medical affairs Jurriaan Penders of HumanCapitalCare. “The share of absenteeism for mental reasons is increasing further in the total number of sick reports.”
This concerns reports of illness as a result of high work pressure and stress. “Which is related to the shortage on the labor market,” says Penders. But there are also people who cannot work because they suffer from depression. “Less relaxation at work also influences this.”
However, the company doctor believes that absenteeism is not exclusively related to the circumstances at work. “It is the whole of society. People have concerns, it is difficult to participate. Society demands much more from us.”
According to Penders, there is not only more work pressure, but there is more pressure across the board. “Everyone has a share in the cause and solving it.”
In August, the total absenteeism due to illness was still a fraction higher than in the same month in 2019. “This difference can largely be explained by the absenteeism of people with long-term covid.” Corona hardly plays a role in the number of sick reports.
Both ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare are part of HumanTotalCare. The occupational health and safety services have an overview of the well-being of about a million employees and are therefore the largest in this field.
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