According to data from the National Institute of Social Security, the largest number of work incapacities since the beginning of the pandemic occurred between December 2021 and January 2022, when more than 2.4 million sick leaves were recorded due to covid infection.
The costs of sick leave due to covid for Social Security increased by 82% last year and, in anticipation of what may happen in 2022, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has announced that the sick leave coverage could reach 10,818 million euros, one percentage point of GDP.
All this situation of sick leave and absences from work caused by covid is reflected in the recent InfoJobs Report on Absenteeism from work. On the workers’ side, 24% of employees in Spain over the age of 16 say they have had to absent from work in 2021 through sick leave, 3% more than the previous year.
Monica Perez, Director of Communication and Studies at InfoJobs, states that “absenteeism from work has followed a line similar to that marked the previous year. The covid has strengthened teleworking as a mandatory measure in most companies. In this sense, occupational health and safety continues to require that the Teleworking Law include clauses that regulate and control absenteeism and the health of remote workers”.
People who telecommute were absent less
When it comes to being absent from work, there are notable differences between those who telecommute and those who do not. Thus, people who have not teleworked during the last year have taken more leave (27%) than those who have. they teleworked (17%).
Another relevant fact within the group of non-teleworkers is linked to the duration of sick leave, which is significantly longer than among those who telework. Specifically, sick leave lasts, on average, 30.6 days, while among people who telecommute the figure is 23.3 days.
However, despite the fact that they take fewer leaves and are shorter, among those who telework, absences do occur more frequently without the need to request a leave (26%)while among non-teleworkers this figure was seven percentage points lower.
One in three workers between the ages of 16 and 24 applied for sick leave in the last year
By age range, workers between 16 and 24 years old are the ones who, in proportion, have been absent the most taking advantage of sick leave during 2021. Regarding the gender, the report reveals that it was women who caused the most casualties at work. At a general level, the data shows that almost one in four workers was sick while one in five was absent without taking a sick leave.
On the other hand, the average number of days of absence is notably reduced compared to the previous year, going from 37.3 days in 2020 to 29 days in 2021.
Despite the fact that workers declare a decrease in the average number of days of absence, 43% of companies perceive labor absenteeism similar to that of previous years. Specifically, the largest companies (+ 50 workers) and the primary sector perceived higher absenteeism in recent years, while on the contrary, those companies with workers covered by a teleworking model, either 100% or hybrid, detect less absenteeism than those with 100% face-to-face models.
In this sense, according to the companies, the most direct consequence of the absenteeism is the increased workload. Differences are also perceived depending on the size of the companies. The smaller ones (up to 49 employees) and those in the primary sector perceive a greater impact on the productivity of the company and the larger ones give more importance to the emotional exhaustion of the workers.
