Study: Six out of ten employees report sick despite being able to work

23.01.2024 14:25

A slight runny nose on the morning of a workday – the employee actually feels fit enough, but a day off would be a good fit: 59 percent of employees in Germany make the so-called bedside decision in favor of calling in sick, even though they are fit for work. Ten percent do this frequently, 23 percent sometimes, and 26 percent rarely. 36 percent say they are always healthy and able to work. These are the results of the representative study "Working 2023" by Pronova BKK, for which around 1,200 employees aged 18 and over were surveyed online in November 2023.

Different generations deal with illness differently. Employees are more likely to suspect Generation Z: Three-quarters suspect that 18- to 29-year-olds call in sick even when they are fit. Twenty-eight percent of respondents say that the baby boomer generation, aged 59 and older, never does this. The younger the employees, the more likely they are to be accused of occasionally submitting sick notes even when healthy. Business psychologist and resilience trainer Patrizia Thamm attributes this mistrust of 18- to 29-year-olds primarily to a lack of understanding between the generations. "It is clear that the younger generation is characterized by a more sensitive early warning system for its own needs, which I believe is very valuable. They therefore prioritize self-care and their own health and are not willing to push through their workload at all costs when their health is ailing," says the health promotion officer at Pronova BKK.

Health-conscious Gen Z meets presenteeism of the elderly

However, 18- to 29-year-olds often still encounter a lack of understanding from their older colleagues with this behavior. This is because it used to be more common to tolerate unhealthy working conditions and question processes less. Thamm: "Burnout was certainly not desirable, but it was part of the deal in an emergency," says Thamm. She therefore advises: "It is an important leadership task to establish mutual understanding between the generations." Calling in sick despite being able to work can undermine trust between employers and employees and seriously damage morale in companies, as it disproportionately increases the workload for the remaining employees.

There appears to be a shift in thinking regarding presenteeism: According to the survey, significantly fewer employees with mild infections are now going to work than before the coronavirus pandemic. While 50 percent did so in 2018, this figure fell to just 34 percent in 2023. Furthermore, fewer employees are dragging themselves to work with back pain: The number of those affected has fallen by eleven percentage points to 46 percent since 2018. Nevertheless, back pain is the condition with which Germans most frequently report to work. Yet, not even one in three still cures their illness until they are fully recovered. Especially in the case of respiratory illnesses and contagious infections, 23 and 19 percent, respectively, only wait until the worst symptoms are over.

One in eight people goes to work with a positive corona test

Particularly worrying is the fact that 12 percent of respondents returned to work with a positive coronavirus test and a mild course of the disease. Even during the pandemic, the number was 9 percent. Now, respect for this disease seems to have diminished again – especially among Generation Z: Here, the number has almost doubled compared to the previous year. In addition, there are those who now forgo a coronavirus test when experiencing cold symptoms. Thamm: "The virus remains unpredictable. It is therefore advisable to stay home to minimize the risk of infecting colleagues. Especially because working from home is much more common today than it was a few years ago."„

More information on the study „Working 2023“ can be found here: www.pronovabkk.de/arbeiten2023