In Finland, working while sick is a common occurrence among employees. This can be attributed to various reasons including work pressure and workload. When employees feel the need to work while sick, it creates a vicious cycle where they continue to work even when they are ill, leading to greater pressure when they return from sick leave. In some jobs, tasks aren’t taken care of by others during an employee’s absence, adding to the pressure to work while sick.
However, working while sick isn’t always a result of bad working conditions. Meaningful work and a supportive work community can also contribute to employees choosing to work while ill. A good work community can encourage greater responsibility for one’s work and conscientiousness, reducing the need for sick leave. Additionally, a sense of duty and the need to fulfill responsibilities, especially in sectors with workforce shortages like social and health care, can also lead to employees working while sick.
Strict absence control measures such as making the first day of sick leave unpaid can contribute to employees persisting at work despite being ill. This can lead to future sickness absences as individuals may not fully recover if they continue to work while sick. Factors like perfectionism, fears about career progression, financial concerns, and the nature of the illness can also influence employees to work while sick.
Organizational psychologist Pekka Järvinen highlights that some individuals may have a need to maintain control over their work and fear negative consequences if they take sick leave. Slowly emerging symptoms like those of burnout or depression can also contribute to employees working while exhausted as they may not recognize the severity of their condition over time.
Overall, various factors can influence employees to persist at work despite being sick. While this may seem beneficial in the short term by keeping up with daily tasks and minimizing disruptions in the workplace, it creates challenges for both individuals and organizations in terms of long-term health outcomes and job satisfaction levels.