For the first time in years, the amount of time people were absent from work for less than one month has dropped. However, long-term absenteeism continues to show an upward trend.
Short-term absenteeism – when an employee is off work for a period shorter than one month – decreased in Belgium last year. This marks the first time this figure has decreased in a decade, HR services company SD Worx showed based on data of more than 800,000 employees.
The loss of working days as a result of people taking a short time off work due to illness decreased from 3.45% in 2022 to 3.24%. However, this figure has not yet fallen back below the level of 2021 and previous years, when it remained below 3%. Between 2021 and 2022, this figure skyrocketed from 2.92%. The largest drop was recorded in Brussels (at -6.9%).
"The fall in short-term absenteeism is because last year slightly fewer people were absent from work," Katleen Jacobs of SD Worx Belgium said. SD Worx's survey also showed that one in three people in Belgium (31%) were not absent for a single day due to illness of short or medium duration in 2023, up from 29% the previous year.
This once again rebukes the argument made by employers that the abolition of one-day sick notes – passed in November 2022, effectively making it possible for employees to take a sick day without a doctor's note up to three times a year – would cause more absenteeism.
Longer term illness
A recent study by HR company Attentia already showed that medium-term absenteeism of more than one month and long-term absenteeism of more than one year reached new record highs in 2023.
SD Worx found that medium-term absenteeism (between one month and one year) rose when it comes to the number of days – from 2.95% to 3.04% – but no more workers are medium-term absent (13%).
"On average, people in Belgium were not sick more often either and those who were sick (both in the short and medium term) were sick for slightly less time," Jacobs noted. The average number of days taken off work due to sickness fell from 12.7 in 2022 to 12.1 in 2023.
The sectors that require physical attendance in the workplace are those most affected by short- and medium-term absenteeism.
The healthcare sector recorded the highest percentage of missed days. Companies with a very high % of absenteeism are mainly sectors with blue-collar or mixed sectors (blue-collar and white-collar workers). This highlights that teleworking has a positive impact on absenteeism.
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The total days lost in 2023 due to illness (short, medium and long periods) will average 9.91%. "That is one in 10 working days lost," Jacobs stressed.
The wage cost of non-performance time is estimated at €1,528 per full-time employee per year. "Both the direct and indirect costs of absenteeism are particularly high which in turn have a heavy impact on total personnel costs." It also impacts the productivity, work organisation and motivation of employees who ensure continuity. "That is why it is important as an employer to work on several fronts to reduce absenteeism."
