BERLIN. The next significant increase in the number of Covid infections is already in sight – that’s what doctors are expecting and medical professionals for the coming weeks. Fortunately, most corona illnesses are now relatively mild. Nevertheless, some of the infected employees cannot work, in a situation in which absenteeism among employees is unusually high, as many health insurance companies report. Stressful working conditions (such as in the daycare sector) are also responsible for this. This is the result of an analysis by the Hans Böckler Foundation, which is close to the DGB.
The number of sick people is high (symbolic photo). Photo: Shutterstock
The development is being watched with concern – and is already being discussed by economists and employers as a problem for economic performance in Germany. What are the reasons for comparatively high sickness rates? In addition to more serious respiratory diseases, stressful working conditions, a lack of staff, too little operational prevention, problems in the social infrastructure, such as child care, and more older employees are important factors, according to a new analysis by the Hans-Böckler Institute of Economic and Social Sciences (WSI). -Foundation. In addition, sickness reports have recently been recorded more systematically, so that the statistics simply reflect the actual sickness absences more realistically than before.
“The available data confirms that daycare staff are confronted with significantly higher reports of incapacity for work than all professional groups as a whole.”
“In view of higher absenteeism, some media suggest that employees are more likely to stay at home or even celebrate sick when they are sick. It is suspected that this is due to a lower willingness to perform and that there are fewer negative consequences to fear in times of a shortage of skilled workers. There may be individual cases, but as fundamental explanations such reductions are dangerous because they obscure the view of the really relevant causes,” says Prof. Dr. Bettina Kohlrausch, scientific director of the WSI. “Only if you know the structural operational and social causes and take them seriously can you do something effective against high levels of sickness,” explains Elke Ahlers, WSI expert for health at work and author of the analysis. Prevention and in particular the consistent use of risk assessments – and effective conclusions from them – are central.
Since the Corona years, sickness rates in Germany have been on an upward trend and are now at a historically high level. Most recently, employees were diagnosed with respiratory diseases (17.5 percent), followed by musculoskeletal diseases (17.4 percent) and mental illnesses (10.3 percent). Social institutions – especially daycare centers – are severely affected by high levels of sickness.
“The available data confirms that daycare staff are confronted with significantly higher reports of incapacity for work than all professional groups as a whole,” says one current study by the Bertelsmann Foundation based on data from the health insurance company DAK. In addition, an enormous increase in the number of AU days among daycare staff has been observed since 2022, which is also evident across all professional groups.
“In addition, the proportion of incapacity to work due to mental illness in jobs in child care and education is, on average, significantly higher compared to other occupational groups. The current study situation and the results reported here reveal a pattern that has a particularly detrimental effect on early childhood education, care and upbringing institutions: The already high, structurally-related staff shortage leads to unfavorable working conditions, which in turn results in higher The workload of the staff is reflected. A higher workload can further contribute to increased sickness absence, thereby leading to an additional increase in staff shortages,” it says.
Ahlers also cites studies by the Techniker Krankenkasse, according to which the scope and complexity of the tasks to be completed, the high amount of information and dealing with permanent changes are the decisive factors for high levels of stress. The DAK also points out that 45 percent of employees are regularly affected by severe or very severe staff shortages in their own work area. In fact, in industries with a high shortage of skilled workers, sickness rates are above average and multiple sick leave is noticeable. But these same employees are also more likely to say they go to work despite being sick. And they have to take on additional tasks, which leads to work intensification, multitasking and extra work. Breaks are limited and the end of work is no longer certain. Ahlers analyzes that many employees find it harder to switch off from work in the evening. “All of this affects job satisfaction, the working atmosphere and ultimately health.”
For parents of smaller children, such workloads are exacerbated by the widespread lack of daycare places and the often shortening or cancellation of childcare. According to a survey by the WSI, 67 percent of the affected respondents stated that they found the loss of childcare or the reduction in time to be stressful.
At the same time, demographic change and the limited possibility of earlier retirement have increased the labor force participation of older people in Germany: According to the industrialized countries organization OECD, the employment rate of older people (55 to 64 years of age) in Germany increased by 35.9 percentage points from 1995 to 2022. In 2022 it was 73.3 percent, well above the OECD average of 62.9 percent.
This development, which many experts see as positive, also has a downside, so to speak, that has an impact on sick leave, says Ahlers. Health insurance data shows that sickness-related absences increase with age. While the sickness rate among 30 to 34 year olds is 4.9 percent, it increases to over nine percent among 55 to 59 year olds. Although older employees are not necessarily sick more often, they are sick longer due to other illnesses.
The WSI expert cites the changed digitized process for recording and forwarding sickness reports as another, often overlooked, factor. Until 2022, it was up to employees to pass on sickness reports not only to the employer but also to the health insurance company, but this is now done digitally. This means that the health insurance companies automatically receive all sickness reports, which was previously only the case to a limited extent. According to Ahlers, the change will lead to a more precise recording of cases of illness and, as a result, to a correction of years of under-recording. “The significant increase in sick leave is therefore also due to this change, and in fairness this should be taken into account in the debate about high levels of absenteeism.”
Instead of complaining about a supposedly less productive working population, the relevant causes of high absenteeism must be addressed, emphasizes the WSI health expert. Important instruments for this have long been available, but: “This has long been required as part of statutory occupational health and safety and a more consistent implementation of risk assessments, but has only been implemented half-heartedly by companies,” writes Ahlers.
“HR managers are urgently required to offer employees good and fair working conditions in order to counteract the high levels of absenteeism”
In her own studies, the researcher has found that effective protection against psychological overload is often still neglected. At least in companies with a works council, the proportion of companies that regularly carry out psychological risk assessments is continuously increasing, as the WSI works council survey from 2021 showed. However, such procedures have so far only been fully implemented in around two thirds of companies, and the analysis does not necessarily appear to be followed by action. Studies by other scientists show similar deficits.
Ahlers warns that HR managers are urgently required to offer employees good and fair working conditions in order to counteract the high levels of absenteeism. However, one-sided blame would only bring one thing: even more pressure and stress. News4teachers
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