In 2023, employees in Belgium took fewer sick days than ever before, according to a study by HR services company Acerta. The research found that employees worked an average of 83.3 percent of the time, equivalent to 208 days per year for a full-time employee. This attendance rate represents an increase of 0.8 percentage points from the previous year and is the highest recorded figure in the past five years.
The study analyzed data from approximately 390,000 employees at 30,000 private sector companies to reach this conclusion. Sickness absence was the primary reason for employees being absent from work, with an average of 7.9 percent of working hours (equivalent to around 20 days in a working year) lost due to illness in 2023. Interestingly, absenteeism due to illness was found to be higher in larger companies compared to smaller ones, with companies with more than 500 employees reporting an absence rate of 9.9 percent, double that of the smallest employers at 5 percent.
According to Dirk Vanderhoydonck from Acerta Consult, reducing absenteeism due to illness is crucial for companies looking to enhance their productivity levels. He emphasized the need for organizations to address this issue, especially in light of the current labor shortage scenario.
Overall, while there has been a positive trend in employee attendance in Belgium in recent years, there is still much work to be done when it comes to minimizing sickness absence and maximizing workforce availability and efficiency.
In summary, a recent study by HR services company Acerta revealed that employee attendance rates increased slightly in Belgium in 2023 compared to previous years. Although there are concerns about lost working days due to illness among larger companies compared to smaller ones, efforts are needed from all organizations across sectors