Monday is the most common day for sick leave, while Friday is the least likely day of the week where workers call in sick, according to a new report.
The research, carried out by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, showed that staff in junior levels took more sick leave than staff in more senior positions.
It also showed that sick leave levels varied according to age, with the younger members of staff reporting sick more frequently than their older colleagues.
The highest levels of sick leave were reported in January and February while June and December were the months with the least sick absence.
According to this report, overtiredness was the cause for the bulk of reported sick leave but the study did not delve into whether it was work-related.
The most common sick leave day for employees working on a shift system was Friday evening.
Commenting on the findings in an article published on the chamber’s The Commercial Courier magazine, Playmobil HR manager Ivan Refalo linked the higher incidence of sick leave in some grades of the company structure to employee motivation and engagement.
He argued that although “policing”, in the form of company doctors, was not the ideal remedy, this seemed to act as a deterrent to reduce abuse.
The more military the approach, the more abuse there tends to be
The magazine also sought the opinion of Mario Cutajar, the head of the Civil Service, who spoke about how the Government was intent on addressing the issue of absenteeism across the public sector.
“Sick leave is an indicator of attitude and motivation. Its frequency surmises the workers’ motivation as well as the managerial skills of those heading the various branches of the public service. Unfortunately, the public service has a conglomeration of these problems.
“Both are now being prioritised by the Government,” he said.
He referred to rewards available to public service employees to deter the abuse of sick leave. One of these is the possibility of allowing workers to leave some months prior to their retirement.
However, he admitted such initiatives were not working as they did not result in a significant change in the number of working days lost to sick leave, adding that resorting to doctors to certify workers’ sicknesses was “not an expedient solution”.
He would rather address the reasons on why sick leave levels were high rather than “taking a head-on attitude against workers’ sick days”.
The report states that one specific company reported higher sick leave levels taken by members of staff from certain locations, mainly in the south, as well as those from “disadvantaged backgrounds”.
The measures the report suggested to try reduce sick leave levels included interviews once workers return from sick leave and the continued use of company doctors, which was found to reduce absenteeism rates.
It recommended against pegging sick leave to performance bonuses, as such a measure might send the wrong message.
Another potentially controversial measure suggested by the report was identifying individuals who abuse sick leave from an early age by indicating school absenteeism rates in leaving certificates.
Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin general secretary Josef Vella warned against the use of “military-style” management practices.
“Values and principles are what regulate abuse but it also depends on the atmosphere management creates.
“The more military the approach, the more abuse there tends to be,” he said.