How COVID Affected Sick Leave

How COVID Affected Sick Leave

Office culture is constantly changing, and in the past 2 years, the attitude towards work has drastically evolved with more people wanting to continue to work from home and others preferring to come to the office, but what really is causing this and can we ever find the right balance?

Companies have started to adapt with the constant changes, but they are struggling with work culture and engagement. Gone are the days that companies will require people to work from the office full-time always. Managers have also become more understanding and letting employees work from home when needed even if they have been made to go back to the office after COVID. 

There is one thing nobody is talking about, and that’s sick leave. In the past 2 years, it has been evident that sick leave has been affected the most and there are several reasons why. 

Employees now take their laptop home which keeps them always-on even when they are feeling under the weather. Remembering the times when people felt sick and could leave everything in the office, go home and rest for a week until they feel better, however now, companies expect you to work even if you have a cold, fever or caught a virus, because sending an email, preparing a presentation or sending a message to a co-worker is not a hard task making employees to work while they are ill.

Previously, you could take time when you are slightly ill and now it’s becoming to a point where the only time you can take off is if you are actually in a hospital. If we do a quick analysis on the times people have taken sick days in the past 2 years, there is a percentage degrees from pre-covid levels, which can take a toll on people’s mental health.

Have you noticed a difference in the way people take sick leave now and have you taken any in the past few years?