Rising Trend of Work Absences Among Employees: Insight into the Causes
A Hurricane of Burnout: An Unsettling Glimpse into France's Workplace Malaise
By Guilhem Pouiol Published on
It's time to sound the alarm. One in five French employees has taken sick leave at least once in the past six months due to work-related woes, according to a study by Ekilibre Conseil and OpinionWay, released this Thursday. The most common complaints? Burnout, physical pain, and mental health struggles. "This study reveals that workplace discomfort, both mental and physical, is intertwined with work for a sizable chunk of the workforce," says Jean-Christophe Villette, a workplace and organizational psychologist, and the director of Ekilibre Conseil. "It's an alarming social reality rooted in the cumulative imbalance between professional demands and available resources."
This indicates a widespread feeling of fatigue among French workers. A staggering 80% claim to suffer from generalized professional fatigue, a sign of persistent physical and mental exhaustion. More than half of the respondents say they experience daily work-related stress without any relief, and about four in ten express a sense of discomfort at work. Three out of those four confess that this state negatively impacts their mental or physical health.
The Ebb of Progressive Retirement Age
This escalating tension has led to an increase in work stoppages, but it's also pushed employees to hide their emotions to keep going. "What we observe is not a temporary crisis, but an organized exhaustion that has become the norm in far too many organizations," says Villette. "It's high time to emerge from collective numbness and refocus on the sustainability of work."
Another troubling fact: 25% of employees report experiencing violence in the workplace. These can range from moral harassment and workplace exclusion to external aggressions during business trips. Among those who've suffered violence, nearly 60% have been subjected to moral harassment, and 20% report sexual harassment or sexist behavior.
The study also highlights organizational factors as the key drivers of French employees' discomfort. The top contributors to their discomfort are cognitive overload (64%), time pressure (39%), lack of recognition (33%), and the feeling of futility in their work (24%).
The Battle Against Burnout
To counteract these challenges, French companies are adopting a four-stage approach to preventing psychosocial risks like burnout, stress, and harassment. This strategy involves assessing risks using questionnaires and diagnostic tools, identifying actionable solutions, developing tailor-made prevention plans, setting up a monitoring system, and taking quick action when situations deteriorate.
Human resources teams play a crucial role in this process by spotting signs of stress, measuring risks, and implementing targeted solutions. They are also vital in ongoing efforts at the European level, such as the Burnout Prevent project and campaigns by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. For example, the Burnout Prevent project focuses on creating burnout risk assessment tools, promoting healthier leadership styles, delivering training programs, and suggesting policy changes to improve workplace mental health.
Efforts are also extended towards high-risk sectors such as healthcare, where events like European Mental Health Week and webinars on burnout raise awareness about the critical burnout levels among healthcare professionals. technological interventions—such as providing napping facilities at work and implementing peer support programs—are being explored to ease stress and relieve mental health burdens in high-pressure workplaces.
- The general news regarding workplace malaises in France reveals that mental health struggles, physical pain, and burnout are common issues among employees, contributing to a widespread feeling of fatigue.
- A concerning aspect is the rise in workplace violence, with 25% of employees reporting incidents ranging from moral harassment to sexual harassment, highlighting the need for improved workplace safety and justice.
- In response to these challenges, efforts are being made to improve workplace wellness and mental health, with French companies adopting strategies like risk assessment, actionable solutions, prevention plans, and ongoing monitoring to prevent psychosocial risks such as burnout, stress, and harassment.
