Absenteeism at Two Occupational Health Services in Belgium from 2014 to 2021.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Human Resources Management
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Medical certification is frequently required for absences exceeding one workday, yet its impact on absenteeism remains debated.
• Previous research suggests that firm mergers can have variable effects on short-term absenteeism.
• Understanding factors influencing employee absenteeism is crucial for effective workforce management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether extending self-certification periods or implementing company mergers influences short-term employee absenteeism.
• To analyze absenteeism data before and after specific organizational changes in two distinct companies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of HR absenteeism records from January 2014 to December 2021 at two Belgian occupational health services.
• Exclusion of sickness periods longer than four weeks.
• Application of the ARIMA (1, 0, 1) model to assess the impact of a merger (Company 1) and an extended self-certification period (Company 2).

Main Results:

• Company 1, which underwent a merger, experienced a decline in absenteeism.
• Company 2, which prolonged its self-certification period, showed an increase in absenteeism, though not statistically significant.
• Statistical modeling (ARIMA) did not reveal a significant impact of the merger or the extended self-certification policy on short-term absenteeism levels.

Conclusions:

• Prolonging the self-certification period to five days without medical certification was not found to increase short-term absenteeism.
• Company mergers were not found to significantly increase short-term absenteeism in the observed period.
• Organizational changes like extended self-certification or mergers may not be primary drivers of short-term employee absenteeism.