According to an expert, the causes of this increase are diverse, including the saturation of public health services and the need to improve prevention in companies. The main focus is on common contingency sick leaves, which are issued by health centers.
In the Canary Islands, not only are more sick leave processes registered, but their duration is also significantly longer. A worrying fact is that one in four sick leaves on the islands is due to psychiatric pathologies, a percentage ten points higher than the national average of 14%.
“"The phrase 'I'm going to take sick leave' has deeply permeated the cultural sphere, as if it only depended on the worker's will, when it is medical professionals who determine the existence of a pathology."
The expert emphasizes that sick leave requires a pathology that prevents work. However, sometimes sick leave is used to address problems unrelated to health, which is called the “shelter effect.” Although fraud is not mentioned, this practice contributes to the inefficiency of the system.
Psychiatric pathologies are difficult to objectify, which can lead to their use to cover up other situations. Although almost 80% of workers attend their jobs daily, 4% are repeat offenders in sick leave, which affects the system's efficiency.
“"In the Canary Islands, there are 4% of workers who are repeat offenders and take two, three, or more sick leaves per year."
There has been a debate about penalizing sick leave, but there is a 2022 law that protects workers against discrimination for health reasons. Unions, for their part, attribute the high rate of sick leave to working conditions, although the expert insists that the problem is concentrated in common illnesses and pathologies unrelated to work activity.
The difference in sick leave management between the Canary Islands and other communities such as Andalusia or Valencia is notable. While in Andalusia 98% of sick leave proposals from mutual societies are responded to, in the Canary Islands only 28% are adequately addressed. This disparity is attributed to a lack of healthcare personnel and less collaboration with mutual societies in the islands.
“"Mutual societies have no economic interest in reducing processes; we manage public money."
The expert emphasizes that the problem is multifaceted, involving both workers who abuse the system and the need for all stakeholders to provide resources to make it more efficient. Agility in processes and patient recovery are priorities, without generating excessive costs for public coffers.
