Office notebook. Covid-19, teleworking, aging of the working population: two years ago, more than half of business leaders thought that sick leave would continue to increase. They were right, but only for small businesses. With 42% of employees arrested at least once a year, on a national average, absenteeism due to illness returned in 2023 below its pre-Covid-19 level (44% in 2019).
The ninth edition of Malakoff Humanis’ annual absenteeism barometer, to be published on Wednesday April 17, thus confirms the general decline in absences due to illness, revealed a few days earlier by the Diot-Siaci social performance observatory, but for better highlight the particular case of very small businesses (VSEs) which do not benefit from it.
While companies with more than 1,000 employees only have 33% of people arrested at least once in 2023 (compared to 49% in 2021), those with fewer than 10 employees increased from 30% to 38%. then to 40% between 2021 and 2023. Up 10 percentage points in two years, the clouds are gathering among the youngest, while the situation is improving among the oldest, indicates the Malakoff Humanis barometer, carried out from January 2 to 24 by interviewing more than 2,800 employees and 400 managers or HR managers in the private sector.
Have working conditions in small businesses deteriorated to the point of making employees sick? “Arrests for psychological disorders (…) still represent 15% of sick leave, and a quarter of long leave”, but for all companies. Would there be a new wave of disengagement which would only concern VSEs?
Compliance with prescribed stops
The employees who say they are committed are actually fewer in number than before. But the fundamental answers must be sought elsewhere. “The question of VSEs is a real subject that we had not necessarily seen. We are starting to have a more homogeneous vision of the role of teleworking on sick leave”analyzes Anne-Sophie Godon, director of services at Malakoff Humanis.
Widespread teleworking in large organizations reproduces the phenomenon which, during confinements, caused a drop in absenteeism due to illness. When working remotely, employees tend not to report ordinary illnesses and continue to work as best they can while staying at home. Over the last twelve months, 45% of eligible employees took one or more days of teleworking rather than going to see a doctor when they were sick, specifies the barometer.
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