42% of private sector employees were ordered to take sick leave last year, and 38% actually took it, according to the latest Malakoff Humanis barometer. Ordinary minor illnesses - colds, flu, and gastro - are the leading cause of sick leave (33%).
Serious illnesses, such as cancer, only represent 4% of sick leave. Those under 40 represent 46% of the workforce in small businesses, while they only represent 35% in businesses with more than 1,000 employees. Employees were less inclined to stop work in small companies because they knew that they could not be replaced and that this would weigh on their colleagues, says Anne-Sophie Godon, director of services at Malakoffs Humanis. The mental health of young people is perceived as less good, and they have less financial means than older people to cope with life events, she adds. The three days of waiting, rarely paid by the employer in VSEs, is the first factor which pushes these employees to come to work even when sick.