Sick days increase when issues at home interfere with work, study finds

Employees who feel that issues with home and family life are interfering with their work take more sick leave, more often, according to a study.

In the study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers assessed different types of work-family conflicts in a sample of nearly 3,000 workers. They found that absenteeism was increased for employees who reported problems with home life interfering with work -- for example, those who agreed with the statement, "Because of the demands I face at home, I am tired at work."

Els Clays, lead researcher from Ghent University in Belgium, said that these workers with high "home-work interference" were more likely to have at least three sick leave episodes per year and to take 10 or more sick days per year. The relationship remained significant after adjustment for other factors related to sick leave.

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Researchers noted that companies looking for ways to reduce absenteeism might want to consider family-friendly employment policies, such as flexible work schedules.

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September 14, 2009

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