Increased work pressure does not lead to more sickness absence among highly qualified

Download article in original language : NL9912174NNL.DOC

In November 1999, the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics reported that more people than before are working under increased time pressure, but other research indicates that increased work stress among highly-qualified people does not lead to higher levels of sickness absence. The majority of managers, a group known to work long hours, say they are happy with working weeks of between 45 and 50 hours.

In November 1999, the Central Bureau of Statistics (Centraal Bureau van de Statistiek) reported that more people than previously are working under increased time pressure. Where 31% of professionals were doing so in 1996, 33% were in 1998. During the past two years, the increase in time pressure has been highest in the transport and healthcare sectors. Work pressure has increased most in nursing homes and old people's homes: while in the past, 30% of personnel were affected, the figure is now 40%.

Although sickness absence is relatively common in the healthcare sector, especially in home care, other recent research indicates that increased work stress does not lead to higher levels of sickness absence among highly qualified people. The Foundation for the Improvement of the Quality of Occupational Health Care( Stichting Kwaliteitsbevordering Bedrijfsgezondheidszorg) says that an increase in work pressure is common to all business sectors. According to its research, this is highest in the education sector, followed by the healthcare sector, in which personnel also often have to perform physically demanding work. A heavy emotional burden is also common to both these sectors. Levels of sickness absence among highly qualified people are not high, despite the increased stress, researchers say, because of the "self-management" options available to members of this group, who can allow themselves less productive days without this being noticed. The researchers expect that work pressure will continue to increase because more functions are being created that involve information-processing or dealing with people - that is, functions that typically require highly qualified people. Ronald de Ley, director of social affairs at the VNO-NCW employers' association, suggested in response to the results that future research would have to take account of "life pressure" as well. By this, he meant that employees have to organise their private lives to an increasing extent, a new activity that adds to the overall level of pressure experienced.

The Foundation's research examined this work/private life balance among managers, and a majority of those interviewed (70%) appear to be content with this balance, despite average weekly working hours of 50 hours for men and 44 hours for women. Their contentment, however, does not mean that they would not like to see some changes. In fact, 40% said that they would be prepared to give up a part of their salary in exchange for more free time; this was particularly prominent among young managers and women. Nearly a third of the women interviewed felt that they were still doing more of the housework than they should, while a third of the men felt that they were doing too little. A third of respondents felt that they would like to see a more flexible approach to the division of tasks, a view especially apparent among female managers without children living at home.