Why fewer employees comply with the stop work of their doctor

According to a study by Malakoff Médéric Humanis, 28% of them preferred to continue to work or resume prior to the date set by their illness.

This is an upward trend. According to the results of a study of Malakoff Médéric Humanis revealed this Thursday, on absenteeism in the workplace, the medical requirements are less and less respected. In fact, 28% of the sick prescribed by doctors are "not supported" or only "partially", a figure that is up 5 percentage points from 2018, and 9 points compared to 2016. Some 11% of the judgments have been made, but not all, and 17% were not taken at all.

"The judgments of four to ten days are those who are the least taken. Between six and fifteen days, they are more but often only partially," says the survey. However, nearly half (47%) of employees who have refused at least one work stoppage regret ex post their decision, according to the survey.

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To explain this renunciation, the employees evoke in the first place, the fact that it is not in their habits to let go" (39%) and the fact that the days not worked "are not supported" (37%). They were only a 29% three years ago for this reason. So far, the companies have not modified their practices : 44% of employees have their salary maintained during the first three days of the judgment, stress the experts Malakoff Médéric Humanis.

"For us, after a year of service in the company, there is no loss of salary when off work due to sickness. When we look at our statistics, we see that those who have less than one year of seniority are much less sick than others", observes with The Express Stephanie Tavernier, director of human resources (HRD), the Foundation of Nice in the last fifteen years.

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"altruism" of employees... and other reasons

contacted by The Express, Anne-Michelle Chartier, delegate to national health in the work of the CFE-CGC union and the occupational physician, referred to the "concerns" of the employees sick. "When they are somewhat alone in their service, these employees say that their colleagues will have more work if they are absent. So there's an altruistic side", she notes. But not only : "They also know that if they stop, they will have more work upon their return," explains Anne-Michelle Chartier.

These reasons are mentioned in the study of Malakoff Médéric Humanis. Some 21% of respondents are afraid to be overloaded upon their return and 18% fear that they or their colleagues who must work twice as hard. Some 22% of respondents argue the fact that it is impossible to delegate their tasks.

Stephanie Tavernier found it also these fears. "Some heads of service, the 'managers ' proximity' or some technical managers think that their service is not going to turn without their presence. There are a few in them this tendency to believe that they are indispensable," says the HR director of a major player in the fight against precariousness and exclusion in the Alpes-Maritimes, which has 320 employees.

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According to the study, especially the managers (22%) and the employees of the trade (26%) who abandon their sick. "The leaders do not want to show too many weaknesses, especially in the higher positions. They believe that if you show too many weaknesses, some may enjoy it. In their software, it is not necessary to be off work due to sickness, you have to be strong and not to count the hours", decrypts Anne-Michelle Chartier.

The consequences of non-compliance of the sick

For the doctor of the work, the employees have, however, wrong not to meet their requirements. "They think they're at the bottom, and they think that we will not see that they are not well, but the employer will notice it and will start to ask themselves questions about their work," puts it in guard. She warns again : "The employers like the employees to be arrested or not. On the other hand, those who are between the two, not stopped but not well to their work, it poses problems at all levels".

This is the reason for which Anne-Michelle Chartier advocates to stop work, and heal, so, too, do not contaminate the other employees in the event of viral disease. Alternative solutions also exist, remember this doctor's work, such as telework.

To combat absenteeism in the workplace, the Foundation of Nice has set up a "prevention plan" three years ago, which resulted in a decrease in the rate of absenteeism. "First, we raised awareness on absenteeism and its impacts because it is a taboo subject. We have also put into place a systematic control of absences with counter medical visits. We have also systematized the interviews at the time of the return when the sick exceed 21 days," explains Stephanie Tavernier.

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She continued : "We set up individual interviews with the HR department when the employee has more than three stops disease of short duration in a year. We have also promoted the well-being at work, including the yoga". A healthy mind in a healthy body, without a doubt, the best way to be open in their work.