Many have to retire earlier because of stress

For health reasons, many workers retire before they retire from their working life

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Stress and work overload make more and more workers sick. Mental illnesses such as depression or burnout are the main causes of the rising numbers of applications for a disability pension. Of the „Pension with 63“ the affected usually do not benefit at all. Because many are leaving work already at the end of 40. The unions therefore demand an increase in occupational safety and health, for example through an anti-stress law. Because the early exit from professional life also brings with it social problems. For example, around one-third of people on reduced incomes are considered at risk of poverty.

Stress and work overload make many workers unable to work
Hundreds of thousands of employees retire each year well before entering the retirement age from work. Mostly mental problems are the cause of the premature task. While the unions demand better working conditions and an increase in occupational safety and health against job overload, employers are particularly critical of treating people too slowly and not adequately. So an increase in the number of rehab places is important.

According to data from the German Pension Insurance Association, 66,441 employees were granted a disability pension in the past year due to mental illness. That's 732 more than in 2012. „The special drama is the average age of those affected“, explains Susanne Weinbrenner, who is responsible for the social insurance pension insurance, to the news agency „dpa“. The average age at which the disability pension is reduced for mental health problems is around 49 years. For comparison, the average age at the start of the early retirement due to bone-muscle diseases, cancer or cardiovascular diseases averages 53 to 56 years.

Too high demands and too little recognition in the job make workers sick
„The causes are many“, informs Ingo Nürnberger, social policy expert of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), to the news agency. „But the organization of working hours, concrete working conditions and leadership behavior in companies are central.“ Often the industry has too high requirements. „Often there is great work compression and fast cycle times.“ Also in the service sector, the burden of additional shift work and irregular working hours is high. Both have greatly increased, according to the social policy experts. „The topic of occupational safety gets a whole new meaning“, so Nürnberger. He sees the Federal Government as its duty to substantiate the Occupational Health and Safety Act as soon as possible by means of an anti-stress regulation. Conversations between the Union and the SPD have so far led to this issue due to divergent views in the void. „The companies must also be more controlled and better advised“, calls Nürnberger.

The health insurance DAK health had determined in a survey of their insured that not the dense job routine alone makes sick. Instead, many employees feel permanently that they are doing too much without receiving positive feedback and recognition, for example from superiors.

Insufficient therapeutic care of workers with mental health problems
The Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) points to another problem. Currently, the therapeutic care of the congested, depressed or addicted is often insufficient. „Missing or too late treatment causes us to lose many working people who are needed as skilled workers“, emphasizes the BDA labor scientist Norbert Breutmann to the news agency. „Often, years pass until the disturbances become noticeable.“ In the search for help, those affected were also on their own. „It is unacceptable that people who are looking for a therapy constantly talk to any answering machine.“ Although working conditions could be the cause, in particular the therapeutic care had to be improved, for example by more psychotherapy places, so Breutmann.

The pension insurance sees in particular the stress, the pressure of the permanent accessibility and unsafe jobs as mentally very stressful for many workers. However, the increase in the number of applications for a disability pension was also related to the abatement of mental illness, with doctors now more frequently making such diagnoses than a few years ago. Despite increased sensitivity, those affected would still encounter ignorance and prejudice. The pension insurance attaches great importance to the fact that mental health problems are not an unalterable fate, but can be treated by means of targeted rehabilitation measures, so that those affected can return to normal working life. Some offerings are also aimed at people who are at risk but not yet ill, for example, to prevent depression and a job failure.

The number of incapacity pensions increases again
While the number of disability pensions has fallen from around 201,000 cases in 2006 to 160,000 since 2001, it has been rising steadily since 2007. Most recently, around 180,000 new entries were registered. One of the reasons could be the high birth generation of the „Baby Boomers“ concern, as it has now reached the age group of 50-60 year olds.

The early retirement due to incapacity for work is also accompanied by social problems, as well over a third of the pensioners and their dependents are considered at risk of poverty. According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, the average pension payment amount for full disability reduction in 2013 was about 650 euros per month. If you have no other income or assets, you can apply for social assistance at the social welfare office in the context of social assistance and basic security in old age, but the social benefit covers only the subsistence level. (Ag)