Job demands, presenteeism culture blamed for this behaviour
More than half employees across Southeast Asia have decided not to take a sick leave despite not being physically or mentally unwell, according to a new report.
The latest study from Milieu Insight revealed that 71% of employees have not chosen to take a sick leave despite feeling physically unwell, while 65% said they didn't take a sick leave despite not feeling good mentally.
Per nation, 83% of employees in Thailand said they didn't take a sick leave despite not feeling well physically, 77% of workers admitted to this in Singapore, 71% in the Philippines, 69% in Vietnam, 68% in Malaysia, and 59% in Indonesia.
When it comes to mental health, 72% of workers in Thailand said they didn't a sick leave even if they don't feel well, 67% admitted to this in Singapore, 66% in the Philippines, 65% in Malaysia, 64% in Vietnam, and 53% in Indonesia.
The report attributed this behaviour to the prevailing culture of presenteeism in the region, as well as high job demands from employers.
This reflected in the employees' reasons for not reporting to work, where 51% said this is because they had too much work to do, 36% said they felt bad about missing work, and 31% said they were worried about missing out on important decision or opportunities.
Read more: Sick leave in Singapore: Are MCs mandatory?
The overwhelming number of sick leave not taken by employees also reflect how they perceive the said benefit - with 56% of them saying the leave should be considered during performance appraisal.
And while 54% of employees said they should be allowed to take sick leave when they feel mentally unwell, another 43% said they should only be permitted once they are able to present proof, such as a doctor's note.
Meanwhile, 60% employees also said they should only return to the workplace after taking a sick leave once they are fully recovered.
In reality, however, nearly half of employees or 48% admitted that they return to work when feeling "mostly recovered, but still a little unwell."
Only 27% said they return to work after fully recovering, while 25% said they return to work still feeling quite unwell, but no longer seriously ill.
