- A document from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya analyzes the main factors behind the growth of workplace absenteeism in small businesses
- Workplace absenteeism in Spain has risen steadily for more than a decade, doubling its figures since 2013. The percentage, which already reached 7% in 2025 —with 5.5% of absences due to Temporary Disability (TD)—, is at record numbers
In a document prepared by Sergi Macip, professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and an expert in work and organizational psychology, TD currently accounts for nearly 80% of all absenteeism, “well above other reasons, such as leave or maternity.”
However, he describes a series of elements that play a central role in the increase of absences, even if they are “harder to measure,” such as work-life balance difficulties, a mismatch between the employee and the position, or the impact of psychological harassment.
ABSENTEEISM AFFECTS ALL SECTORS, REGARDLESS OF ARDUOUSNESS OR PRECARIOUSNESS
A recent analysis conducted by the expert includes information from the Socioeconomic Study of the Evolution of Temporary Disability by the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (IVIE), which highlights that the increase has occurred across all productive sectors, without specific factors like arduousness or precariousness influencing the results.
“It cannot be explained by a single obvious factor (a particularly tough sector, a region with worse conditions, or a specific age group), but rather by a complex web that requires multiple perspectives.”
THE INCREASE IN SICK LEAVES FOR DIFFICULT-TO-ASSESS ILLNESSES
Likewise, when analyzing the types of TD based on Social Security data, while the incidence of cardiovascular pathologies, cancer, or trauma cases stands out, there has been an increase in illnesses that are “difficult to objectify,” such as localized pain (low back pain or headaches) and mental health problems, which have increased by 87% over the last six years.
MENTAL HEALTH IN SICK LEAVES
The rise in mental health leaves is evident due to greater social awareness of related illnesses and a “lower tolerance” for frustration, which, according to the expert, can lead to TD processes when the distress is intense.
THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE BEEN ON LEAVE TWICE OR MORE IS GROWING
For Macip, another important factor when analyzing why workplace absences occur is the expansion of “repeaters” or patients with “multiple processes,” where a worker has two or more TD processes involving lost workdays within a twelve-month period.
These repetitions can be due to factors as varied as failures in the healing process, misdiagnoses, or workplace environment issues, as well as opportunistic behaviors when dealing with illnesses or pathologies that are also difficult to evaluate.
WORKPLACE DISSATISFACTION AS A DETERMINING FACTOR IN ABSENTEEISM
Likewise, the expert highlights the importance, in particular, of workplace dissatisfaction in absences from work. “The evidence is clear: the worse the well-being of workers, the more absenteeism rises.”
Sensitive factors in these types of situations are shift work (which is linked to greater health problems) and company size (larger companies usually have higher rates).
Furthermore, in these situations, “the most common occurrence is not a single major crisis, but a steady trickle of mismatches between the person and the position. The work environment changes, demands are transformed, and the worker does not always manage to adapt.”
THE ROLE OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN EMPLOYEE ABSENCES
Work-life balance also plays a notable role in absenteeism. According to data provided by the UOC expert, the rate of absent workers reflects this behavior:
It is 1.2 points higher when there are caregiving responsibilities for dependent family members.
It is 0.7 points higher when it is not possible to modify the start or end of the workday.
It rises by 0.4 points when it is not possible to have at least one full day off.
Source: Autónomos y Emprendedores