A growing number of employees on (long-term) sick leave are returning to work through a part-time scheme, the Belgian Christian Health Insurance (CM) reported on Thursday. But despite the benefits, not every employer supports the system.
Last month, one in five of the CM members who were on disability benefits (46,494 out of 239,525 people) were working part-time – 45% more than in 2020. "This shows that gradually returning to work pays off and that many people want nothing more than to go back to work," said the CM chair, Luc Van Gorp.
Staff who are recovering gradually from an illness can return to work through a part-time scheme. Employers pay a wage for the days that are worked while the health insurance covers the rest. This type of re-integration at work is most common for women between 40 and 49 years old (28.9%).
CM notes that this type of part-time employment tends to not be a prologued situation. Within six months, 60% of people can fully return to work. Within two years, this rises to 90%.
But not every employer allows for an adjusted or partial return to work for those on (long-term) sick leave. According to a CM survey with 5,100 respondents, 27% of people who wanted to return to work reported having none or only a minority of their required adjustments met.
Out of the 170 respondents who did not receive any adjustments, 20% reported they were never explained by their employer.
The most common explanation for this was issues with the employer or that the job could not be done with those adjustments. For 11% of respondents, managers said they did not understand the point of the adjustments.
In a separate CM survey, respondents on long-term sick leave underscored that to return to work (part-time), it is important to have an empathetic employer, a motivating supervisor, and colleagues who know how to interact with someone recovering from an illness.
The CM chair calls on companies to be more accommodating to those who want to return to work and focus on what employees can still offer on a part-time basis. "For many people, work is a source of fulfilment and an important step in recovery. Enabling this is a job for society as a whole," Van Gorp concluded.
