This week, a long-announced sick pay bomb arrived. Sickness absence continues to rise, and is now at the highest level since the swine flu ravaged Norwegian homes in 2009. But to the extent that there is an epidemic that is rampant now, it is the disease of “lighter mental ailments”. Burned out. Life crisis. Feeling of depression. Stress. Fatigue. Emotions we can all feel at times or someone we know. It is this part of absence that is increasing the most, and especially in the group of young adults. Women’s sickness absence stands out. The news came just weeks after Nav’s recent figures showed that one in five of working age is completely out of work. It is particularly worrying that the exclusion among the youngest is going in the wrong direction. The different country In addition, Norway has a far higher proportion of disabled people than in our neighboring countries. Although something can be explained by the fact that Norway has a high labor force participation rate, the development is alarming. No matter how much goodwill one adds, it is difficult to explain why sickness absence has decreased and normalized after the pandemic in comparable countries, but not here. At a time when the lack of people to do the jobs is considered our biggest challenge, we would think it was at the top of the politicians’ agenda. Only the doctor-notified sickness absence in the second quarter of this year amounts to 8.1 million working days. How many warm hands in the care of the elderly, steady hands to drive buses and ferries and wise heads to teach our children do not make it? How important is the absence of all the budgets that are to be laid and passed in the country’s municipalities, companies, hospitals and other businesses? And what effect does being sick early in life have on people’s sense of coping and health? Perhaps the most serious thing about high sickness absence is not lost kroner and øre, but that it all too easily leads people out of working life. It’s bad enough when it happens to people on the brink of their careers. It is particularly serious for young people who are on the threshold of a long working life. Barely look, don’t touch With the exception of Venstre, all parties refuse to talk about sick pay. At least when there is a camera or a microphone nearby. All attempts to raise the debate are cut short with the talking point that “you don’t get healthier by getting worse advice”. And that was the end of the debate. You don’t have to be a working life researcher to assume that fewer people would take sick leave if you lost money. Although the generous sick pay scheme obviously contributes to the peculiarly Norwegian absenteeism, it is not at all as obvious what the alternative is. The problem is the biases it creates and the unwanted consequences. It is easier to sit in a flexible home office with a cold in your body than to stand on the factory floor or work in a nursing home. It could turn out to be lopsided financially, and force someone to work who should absolutely be at home. But when they refuse to touch sick pay, one would think the politicians had a toolbox full of other good proposals. Believe again. The seriousness of the high level of sickness absence does not correspond to the dull tools of the politicians. Every single time a politician makes a statement about sick leave and outsiders, it sounds like this is something they discovered only now. And points the bottle at the parties in working life. But when it obviously hasn’t worked, one would think you were open and curious about new measures. Believe again. Again. If someone comes up with a proposal with a touch of controversy in it, it will be shot down long before you have time to invite a debate in Dagsnytt18. And there is always someone struggling with a serious cancer diagnosis that you push in front of you. The job is the problem The only thing that seems safe to say is that employers must take greater responsibility. The largest employee organization LO will not even agree that sickness absence is too high. And to the extent that it is, it is the employers’ fault. On Monday, LO and NHO start negotiations on a new IA agreement. As the country has had for 20 years, without visible consequences. This time NHO has announced that they will toughen up and that they will refuse to sign if the sick pay scheme is protected. On Monday, LO and NHO start negotiations on a new IA agreement. Photo: NTB And it is also symptomatic of the Norwegian sickness absence debate. The job is the problem. At the same time, there are alarming features of social development that should invite more debates: What is it about our society that makes many people in their prime unable to work? Is it the working life that has changed or is it the thresholds for what we define as illness? Do doctors allow themselves to be pressured by patients who arrive fully diagnosed and require sick leave? Should there be other arrangements for people experiencing some form of crisis, conflict or reaction in life than giving it a diagnosis of illness? Does Nav succeed in getting people into work, or is it downgraded in the queue by the many tasks they have? Do the employers think it is most comfortable for people to simply be on sick leave rather than spend a lot of effort on “useless” accommodation? Do we think and talk about work as something we must call in sick and be spared rather than as part of the solution? Or is it simply life itself that can be too overwhelming at times? Everyone understands that the problems are complex and that there is no simple solution. Perhaps we are too afraid to step on toes or make each other suspicious. But it must be possible to talk about this with lower shoulders. Because the high absenteeism affects us all and concerns us all. And it obviously doesn’t go away by itself. Published 06.09.2024, at 06.46
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Something is wrong with the Norwegian absence – Expression
