The Upper Austria Chamber of Labor says
Never before have so many people gone to work while sick
While the number of sick days is declining, nearly three-quarters of Upper Austrian employees went to work sick in 2025. The reasons for this are varied, ranging from a sense of duty toward colleagues to fear of consequences at work.
A look at recent years reveals a dramatic worsening of the situation, according to the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor. Since 2015, the proportion of people working while sick has more than doubled. While in 2015 about 30 percent of employees still went to work despite health issues, this figure rose to more than 50 percent by 2020. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who go to work while sick in Upper Austria has risen to 72 percent.
Staff Shortages and High Deadline Pressure
A major contributing factor to “presenteeism”—the technical term for going to work while sick—is the high workload. In addition, staff shortages and tight deadlines are major sources of concern for employees. More than a quarter (nearly 27 percent) of employees feel (heavily) stressed by time pressure, and more than a fifth (21 percent) report feeling (heavily) stressed by work pressure. Work-related stress and presenteeism are closely linked: 94 percent of people who feel (severely) stressed by work-related pressure go to work despite being sick. Among employees with little or no stress, this proportion is significantly lower at 66 percent.
Serious Consequences for Health
Presenteeism also has serious health consequences. Nearly half of employees (45 percent) in Upper Austria report feeling run down more often; more than a quarter (29 percent) have had trouble concentrating at work; and more than one-fifth (22 percent) were sick for longer than necessary. It is concerning that 13 percent of those affected had a relapse and 10 percent later struggled with more serious health problems.
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