Three out of four Belgians continue working when ill

Nearly 75% of Belgians stated that they sometimes carry on working, despite feeing unwell.
This can range from answering e-mails to attending online meetings from home. The majority of respondents (70%) say they would stay at home if there was no other option, if they were in bed with a fever for example. Only the remaining 4% claim to always (go to) work when ill.

What is noteworthy is that the figure has increased since 2021, when Mensura first conducted the survey. At that time, “only” 67% stated that they “carried on working” when ill. So the figure is on the rise. Women (77%) are slightly more likely to continue working when ill than men (72%), and people over 50 (77%) are slightly more likely to continue working than young people (70%).

Absenteeism expert Bart Teuwen: “2021 was of course smack-bang in the middle of the corona pandemic. The motto at the time was: stay home if you are ill. But the effect has largely faded since. The widespread introduction of telework has also had an impact.”
 

However, Bart warns that the risk of presenteeism lurks around the corner. “Maintaining a good balance between employability and avoiding presenteeism is a balancing act. Employees’ good intentions should be appreciated, but a manager has a role to play. Employees who repeatedly exceed the limits of their own resilience must be protected from themselves. Sometimes this means helping them make the choice to completely switch off for a while.”

The motivation to continue working (even part-time) despite being ill varies: wanting to make a good impression (24%), fear of the manager’s reaction (13%) or taking colleagues into account (9%). 

We also asked employers in the survey about their attitude towards sick notes. What role does the sick note play in sick leave? Opinions seem to be divided. 41% consider it to be a good tool. But not all employers see the sick note as the holy grail for reducing absenteeism due to illness. 20% believe it can actually prevent optimal employability from being easily discussed in the workplace. Other employers in the survey did not have a strong opinion. “Whether or not sick notes are used is not the essence of the debate. It is more important to stay in touch with the absent employee. And to have a trust-based conversation about the available options.”

There is also no unanimity about the (further) abolition of the sick note. 42% of companies are against further abolition of the sick note. 31% say they would not have a problem with this because their absenteeism policy focuses entirely on trust and dialogue. 22% believe every company should be able to decide how to deal with absenteeism and sick notes. “It is already a positive sign that the concept of the ‘fit note’ has found its way to the decision-making table of the new government,” says Bart. “It is clear that the government is also taking a different path and wants to encourage people to look at all the available options. Hopefully, this will encourage organisations to fully pursue that path.”