Sick leave in Belgium continues to rise with short- and medium-term leave hitting record highs in 2022, according to a study of over 200,000 employees in Belgium.
The study, carried out by social secretariat Securex, found that mental health problems account for nearly a third of all sick days, specifically in the case of medium- and long-term absenteeism. Similarly, the share of sick days due to burnout increased by 18.5% compared to 2019.
"Young workers in particular are at higher risk, while the risk of burnout decreases with age. Mental disorders often lead to longer absences from work," the social secretariat said. "The effects of long-covid in the aftermath of the coronagraphs 2020 and 2021 also play a role here."
Securex also considered the return to the office after a long period of working from home as an explanation for the findings. "When people return to the workplace, motivation can drop significantly, especially if they are again faced with a toxic leader or company culture. That in turn increases the risk of burnout."
The percentage of workers sick for more than a year increases with age, Securex figures show. The proportion of days not worked rises from 0.09% among staff in their twenties to 2.32% among those in their forties and even 12.63% among those in their early sixties.
The study also found that the longer someone works for the same employer, the greater the risk of long-term absenteeism. An older person who only works for a few years for one employer is at a far lower chance of taking sick leave.
Blue-collar workers have more than double the sickness rate (4.71%) of white-collar workers (2.12%) due to the physical nature of their work and are at a higher risk of burnout.
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"It is in everyone's interest to work preventively," Securex stated. "This can be done by addressing the main causes of burnout in one's own organisation, such as emotional workload, role conflicts and work intensity."
The company also highlighted the importance of adapting jobs to older and younger workers given the influence of seniority on absenteeism. But for some workers, finding a new job may be the best solution to help them avoid burnout.
