Federal public servants had been much less prone to name in sick to work in the course of the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, new authorities information exhibits.
The figures shared by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat point out that in 2020-21, when the pandemic had most workplace staff working totally remotely, the typical variety of sick days for the general public service was 5.9.
That quantity grew to eight.1 in 2021-22, 8.8 in 2022-23 and 9.2 days in 2023-24.
Most workplace staff stayed dwelling to work in the course of the pandemic for a lot of 2020 and 2021. Whereas some federal workplace staff returned to in-person work in 2022, it was solely within the first few months of 2023 that every one public servants had been progressively ordered again to the workplace for a minimum of two or three days every week.
Earlier than then, the info exhibits that public servants took a median of 9.6 sick days in 2019-20, 9.8 days in 2018-19 and a median of 10.4 days in 2017-18.
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Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, a household physician and board director of the Faculty of Household Physicians of Canada, mentioned diminished publicity is without doubt one of the essential drivers of diminished sick days.
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Abdulla mentioned staff might have additionally labored from dwelling in the event that they had been sick in the course of the pandemic, although perhaps much less productively.
Abdulla mentioned sick days might be rising once more as a consequence of individuals’s improve in publicity or their unwillingness to return to the workplace post-pandemic. He mentioned he expects the quantity to rise past pre-pandemic charges as a consequence of elements like delayed well being care, extra exposures, psychological well being sickness and monetary struggles.
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Treasury Board says the typical utilization of sick days consists of individuals who used no sick depart and individuals who used up banked sick depart earlier than accessing long run incapacity advantages.
Between 2017-18 and 2023-24, staff on the Canada Border Companies Company and Correctional Service Canada had been persistently among the many departments and businesses that took essentially the most sick days.
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A survey of federal public servants printed earlier this yr steered that staff at these organizations had been additionally among the many least prone to advocate their workplace as an ideal place to work.
The Authorities of Canada web site says full-time staff typically earn sick depart on the charge of simply over 9 hours every month.
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It says staff are granted sick depart with pay once they’re unable to carry out their duties “because of illness or injury, provided your employer is satisfied of your condition and you have the necessary sick leave credits.”
Catherine Connelly, professor and enterprise analysis chair within the division of human sources and administration at McMaster College, mentioned people who find themselves working from dwelling might encounter fewer germs as a result of they’re not commuting and so they’re not round their co-workers.
Connelly mentioned there’s additionally the likelihood that persons are working from dwelling even once they’re solely just a little bit sick.
“You can maybe still work, not take a sick day, but also rest extra cause you’re not commuting,” Connelly mentioned. “Because of that extra rest, maybe don’t get really sick, so sick that you have to take some time off.”
