Over sixty percent of workers go to work sick

Presentativeness at work can have far-reaching consequences

Two-thirds of all employees go to work sick. This emerges from a representative survey commissioned by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). According to the survey, 67 percent of respondents work despite illness. Nearly every second employee comes to more than one week of "sick work" per year. In more than ten percent, it was even three weeks or more that employees worked sick. Certainly, most of them have a well-intentioned intention, the idea of ​​job security and a high level of individual responsibility, but this presentativeness can have negative consequences for the employer and the employees.

In 2016, the "DGB Good Work Index" had already published a study on "presentism". The trend determined at that time was confirmed again in the current survey. But the self-imposed duty of employees to attend can have both health consequences for employees and economic consequences for employers.

Those who go to work sickly risk being infected by others, suffer long-term health effects, cause errors and accidents, and increase the company's costs. (Image: Andrey Popov / fotolia.com)

What is presentee?

Presentationalism in occupational psychology and occupational medicine describes the behavior of workers who appear in the workplace even though they are ill. Employees thus reduce labor productivity, possible long-term consequences of poorly curing the disease, an increased risk of infecting other people and an increased error and accident rate. The Federal Office for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) warns in a report that presenterism can have long-term negative consequences for the health of those affected.

Presentativeness is expensive

Many workers are not aware of the high numbers that their presence in case of illness can be expensive for the company. According to estimates from a study commissioned by the Felix Burda Foundation, a flu-stricken employee costs the company an average of € 1,200 a year if they stay at home. However, if the employee gets sick to work, the average cost is twice that. Should the worker also infect colleagues, multiply this value.

American studies come up with similar results

Cornell University's US study even records three times more productivity losses by employees who appear ill in the workplace than the losses incurred by employees staying ill due to illness. According to the study, US companies incur costs of about $ 180 billion a year through preventive care.

Why do so many employees go to work sick??

According to BauA, a complex network of personal, work-related and societal factors is responsible for the decision to work despite a disease. Accordingly, there are personal influencing factors such as age and gender, labor and organizational influences such as work stress and corporate culture as well as environmental factors such as job insecurity. The BAuA's research showed that younger workers between the ages of 16 and 30 are more likely to work sick than older workers. In the sexes, it is the women who more often suffer from ill work than the men. (Vb)