- The disease: fewer airways, more psyche
Mental health conditions led to more and longer sick leaves in Bavaria during the first half of the year. Specifically for this area, around 155 lost workdays per 100 employees were recorded - 15 percent more than in the same period last year, according to an analysis by health insurer DAK. While mental health conditions are only the third most common cause of sick leaves, they show a particularly strong increase.
"This further increase in work absences due to mental health conditions is concerning," said the head of DAK Health in Bavaria, Rainer Blasutto. "Bavarian employees continue to face pressure in these times of war and crisis. Employers should focus on stress and potential pressures and engage more with the mental health of their workforce."
Respiratory issues less affected
The majority of lost workdays, with 173 per 100 DAK-insured employees, were due to respiratory system diseases such as colds, flu, or COVID-19. However, there was a seven percent decrease in this area. Musculoskeletal diseases accounted for 166 lost workdays, with a slight increase of three percent. Injuries remained stable with 98 days, ranking fourth.
Overall, the analysis, which examined data from around 321,000 employed DAK insured persons by the Berlin-based IGES Institute, found an unusually high sickness rate of around 5.0 percent in Bavaria during the first half of the year. This is slightly less than the 5.6 percent found in a similar analysis by KKH two weeks ago. However, both analyses found that Bavaria's values were below the national average.
While the insured population of health insurers does not provide an exact reflection of the overall population, the high number of cases examined still offers a good picture of the trend.
"Rainer Blasutto, the head of DAK Health in Bavaria, expressed concern about the continued high pressure on Bavarian employees, which might be contributing to the rise in mental health issues leading to sick leaves in the region."
"Amidst the increasing mental health concerns and associated sick leaves, it's worth noting that respiratory issues, like colds and flu, have shown a decrease in lost workdays in Bavaria."
