Heart palpitations, sleeping problems, irritability: these are just some of the symptoms of stress that more and more federal officials are dealing with. The latest report from the supervisory body Medex speaks volumes. In 2021, a civil servant was sick for an average of 16.5 working days. That is the highest average in five years. An absence lasted an average of 10 working days. Collectively, federal officials accumulated nearly a million days of absence.
Most dropped out due to stress-related psychological disorders, such as burnout, depression or fatigue. This group has grown steadily over the past five years, from 33 percent in 2017 to 40 percent in 2021. These patients are usually also absent for a longer period of time. More than a quarter handed in a sick note for more than 30 working days.
“Whether the causes are professional, private or both at the same time is difficult to determine,” says the new Medex report.
Screening leaders
What is particularly striking is that the stress is a chronic recurring problem. Of the 8,108 civil servants who dropped out due to stress in 2017, more than 72 percent had already relapsed by the end of 2021. According to Minister of Civil Service Petra De Sutter (Groen), this points to a deeper problem, including among managers.
“It is impossible to analyze the performance of a sports team without looking at the coach,” says Minister De Sutter. “As a manager, you can help prevent burnouts by paying attention to the mental well-being of yourself and your employees. That is why we are going to screen managers better for this during the selection procedure. Mental well-being becomes an explicit part of their job description and their competency profile.”
The intervention is part of a plan that will take effect this year and for which De Sutter will allocate an additional 1 million euros per year. For example, managers will receive extra training on mental well-being at work, mediation and stress management. They learn how to best respond to certain situations. There will also be extra career coaches, healthcare personnel and prevention advisors.
Tip of iceberg
The Medex figures only show the tip of the iceberg, because physical complaints such as high blood pressure and neck pain often result from stress, but are not classified as such.
It is also striking that especially women drop out due to stress and burnouts. They represent regarding two-thirds of the total duration of absence in 2021. “A possible explanation for this is that women find it more difficult to find a balance between their private life and work”, according to the inspection body. “Certainly in times of covid, the border was often very vague.”
