Chamber of Labour Upper Austria: Almost three quarters of employees go to work while ill

Workload and presenteeism are closely linked

Particularly striking is the share of those who feel burdened by work pressure and still go to work while ill. 94% of people who feel (strongly) burdened by work pressure go to work despite being ill. Among employees with little or no burden, this share is significantly lower at 66%. More than one in five (21%) say they feel (strongly) burdened by work pressure. More than a quarter (almost 27%) of workers feel exposed to (strong) time pressure.

The AK OÖ also names specific sectors with particularly high sick leave burdens. Temporary agency work leads the statistics with an average of 21 sick leave days, followed by the postal, courier and express services sector with 20.7 days. Stangl described the high figures in these sectors as a clear indication of the burdensome working conditions in these areas.

Temporary agency work and postal services particularly affected

In general, particularly high figures occur in occupations characterised by high physical strain or psychological demands. The AK OÖ interprets this as a structural problem, not as an individual failure of employees. Anyone who shows up at work while ill endangers not only their own recovery but also the health of their colleagues.

Stangl summarised the analysis in a statement: „Krankenstände sind häufig die Folge von steigenden Belastungen und schlechten Arbeitsbedingungen. Daher braucht es bessere Arbeitsbedingungen, wirksame Prävention und eine deutliche Verkürzung der Wartezeiten im öffentlichen Gesundheitssystem." The AK OÖ is therefore calling on employers, policymakers and social insurance alike to take action.

AK OÖ demands on policymakers and employers

Specifically, the chamber is calling for, among other things, binding workload limits in strained sectors, more occupational health provision and the expansion of low-threshold psychological counselling. In addition, healthcare provision itself must become more effective so that employees can be examined and treated quickly in case of need and do not forgo a doctor's visit out of fear of long waiting times.

Employees who feel burdened themselves are advised by the AK OÖ to contact the relevant advisory offices of the chamber. There, open questions about sick leave, protection against dismissal and entitlements to rehabilitation can be clarified. The AK OÖ also emphasises that presenteeism is not a trivial offence, but an early warning sign of overstretched work systems.

Overall, the interest group sees the development as a wake-up call: if almost three quarters of employees work while ill, then the threshold at which someone stays home is obviously too high. The AK OÖ announced that it would continue to address the issue in the upcoming social partner negotiations and in the political debate.