Impact of Workplace Conflicts on Self-Reported Medically Certified Sickness Absence in Latvia

Abstract

Sickness absence is one of the most important working population health indicators. It is a complex phenomenon that is investigated by health care and occupational health specialists, economists, and work psychologists. Sickness absence is used as a predictor for morbidity and mortality, but besides the health status of an individual, sickness absence is influenced by demographic, socio-economic factors, and work environment factors. Conflicts at work are a common psychosocial risk factor that can affect sickness absence. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between different types of workplace conflict and self-reported medically certified sickness absence using cross-sectional survey data pooled from four periodic national surveys—Work conditions and risks in Latvia (2006–2018). The sample is representative of the working population of Latvia, as respondents were randomly drawn from different regions and industries. In total, the study sample (n = 8557) consisted of employees between 16 and 80 years old (average 42.8 +/− 12.6) of which 46.2% were males and 53.8% were females. Researchers used the computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) method for collecting data. The association between workplace conflicts and sickness absence was analysed by using binomial logistic regression and calculated as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), with adjustment for gender, age, education and survey year. The risk of sickness absence was higher among women (OR = 1.24, CI 1.13–1.35), employees aged 25–44 years old and employees with higher income. Controlling for socio-demographic factors and survey year, the odds of sickness absence increased significantly for all types of workplace conflict analysed. The strongest association with sickness absence was related to conflicts between managers and employees (OR = 1.51, CI 1.37–1.66) and conflicts between groups of employees (OR = 1.45, CI 1.31–1.61). Conflicts between employees and with customers also increased the odds of sickness absence (OR = 1.39, CI 1.27–1.52 and OR = 1.11, CI 1.01–1.23, respectively). Our findings suggest that tailored interventions at a company level for reducing workplace conflicts as risk factors of sickness absence are required. Those should focus on the improvement of managers’ leadership and human resource management skills.

Sickness Presenteeism among Employees Having Workplace Conflicts—Results from Pooled Analyses in Latvia

“…The results of this research show that conflicts with colleagues double the risk of presenteeism, and this is in addition to our previous study showing that they also increase the risk of sickness absence [ 42 ]. Similar findings were revealed in another study regarding intragroup conflicts—a positive correlation was observed both for sickness presenteeism and absenteeism [ 3 ].…”

“…This is in line with the findings by Kim et al [ 41 ] that high interpersonal conflicts at work double presenteeism risk even if adjusted for general characteristics (age, gender, marriage status, smoking and drinking habits) and work-related characteristics (permitted sick leave, tenure, position, occupation, shift-work, employment type, and weekly working hours). Furthermore, our previous study about the impact of workplace conflicts on sickness absence pointed to a strong association between these particular types of conflicts and sickness absence [ 42 ]. If the impact of those conflicts on both health behavior outcomes is compared, the odds of presenteeism are significantly higher than those of absenteeism.…”

Tough Times Require Tough People: The Benefits of Grit for Reducing Employee Burnout

“…Creating a healthy work environment benefits both employees and managers. Employees need to take responsibility for their own well-being by adopting healthy lifestyles, cultivating positive attitudes, and setting achievable goals, while managers need to foster positive environments within their organizations [3,4]. To promote employee well-being, managers can offer rewards, provide constructive feedback, and leverage employees' strengths for the benefit of both the individual and the organization [5].…”

The Relationship between Workplace Conflicts and Subsequent Physician-Certified Sick Leave: A Prospective Population Study

“…Furthermore, although stress-related disorders are among the leading causes of long-term sickness absence [22], studies that shed light on whether workplace conflicts affect the level of sickness absence among employees are in short supply. We identified only one cross-sectional study of a general working population in Latvia that has reported associations between managers-employee conflicts and self-reported medically certified absence [23].…”