Sharp increase in small business absenteeism, sick leave in 2022

The number of people absent from work in small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) rose sharply in 2022. According to data from insurance company Interpolis, there was a 39 percent increase compared to 2022. Interpolis said this was because of the coronavirus, the flu, and the worker shortage, which stacked more work pressure on other colleagues.

Interpolis has said it is worrying that the number of people absent for a long time rose in 2022 compared to 2021 and the years before the coronavirus pandemic. The insurer said that the staff shortage is the main reason for that. Interpolis tated that a quarter of SME owners are worried about the health of their staff.

“We continue to see the worries from SME owners about having and retaining enough staff through the year. When an organization struggles with not enough personnel, it creates added work pressure for its current employees,” said Rene Voets at Interpolis.

Eventually, the increased pressure becomes too great, and employees either quit or go on leave, “which then increases the workload even more for other employees.”

Interpolis expects the high work pressure to remain an important topic this year. The insurance company advises entrepreneurs to speak about this with staff. “Only this way can you keep a grip on it with employees, and you can see how you could divide the work pressure in a timely fashion to stop lengthy absences.”