Can you afford to be sick?
I need this
Wendy rubs her eyes. Those damn tears again. She blows her nose, straightens her shoulders, and tries to focus on the screen in front of her. A mail notification appears in the top right corner. 'Can you come to my office for a moment?' Her heart sinks into her stomach, but Wendy pushes her office chair back, stands up, and knocks on the door with the 'Management' sign.
'Sit down,' Marc gestures, looking at Wendy searchingly. 'I'll be direct, and maybe it's none of my business, but you've been back from sick leave for a week now, and I get the feeling it's all too much for you.'
Wendy looks at the floor.
'Every time I walk past your desk, you're crying. That's not like you, and I'm worried.'
'I just didn't sleep much last night.'
Marc leans forward. 'I really think there's more going on. Are you sure you've recovered enough to come back to the office? What did the specialist say?'
Wendy feels her throat tighten. She doesn't want to, but the tears won't be held back.
'I'm all on my own with my two children.'
'What do you mean?' Marc leans back.
'I don't have any savings left after the divorce. Everything goes into the rent for the apartment. The bills keep coming in, especially since my oldest started further studies.' She blows her nose. 'If I'm on sick leave, I don't have enough income. I really need this salary.'
Marc is silent.
'That's why I told the specialist that everything was fine.'
'But it's not,' Marc mutters.
Wendy shakes her head.
Marc sighs. 'Oh, Wendy…'
Work gives us structure, a network, and financial security. What we do for a living is, therefore, a part of who we are.
Yet there are moments in life when working is difficult or temporarily not feasible, but taking the step to stop working is often not self-evident. Besides the rest and space for recovery, many worries can also arise. Financial uncertainty, work that piles up, or responsibilities that are difficult to delegate. But the loss of a network or a part of your identity can also weigh heavily.
On top of that, people sometimes experience pressure or a lack of understanding from their environment and are afraid of losing their job if they are absent. As a result, they sometimes return to work too quickly, while they have not yet recovered sufficiently.
Stopping work offers space for recovery, but at the same time requires attention to everything else that comes with it.
Have you ever felt like you didn't have time to be sick?
How would it feel if recovery had financial consequences you cannot bear?
What worries can people carry with them without their environment noticing?
How much room do you have to absorb unexpected setbacks?
Do you ever stop to think about this?
Did you know?
Health, work, and financial security are strongly interconnected. The relationship works in both directions: poverty makes you sick, sickness makes you poor. Poverty can put pressure on your health. Illness, in turn, can lead to less work and less income.
Want to know more?
More than 500,000 people in Belgium have been incapacitated for work for more than a year. First and foremost, this is a heavy burden for those people themselves. No one chooses to sit at home sick and fall back on a replacement income.
Long-term illness is often viewed from the perspective of social cost: the number of people who are not working and the costs of benefits. But there is another side. We must ask ourselves why so many people become chronically ill and what is needed to help them recover sustainably and, if possible, return to work.
Research by CM shows that returning to work does not only depend on the person who is ill. People with stronger social and professional resources, such as a higher level of education, intellectual work, and a full-time job before the illness, have a better chance of exiting disability. Self-efficacy also plays an important role: believing that you can work again and overcome obstacles.
But the work environment also makes a big difference. Support from a supervisor and colleagues, adapted work, and sufficient time for recovery can support the return to work. Conversely, pressure, lack of understanding, or discrimination can form a barrier. Previous CM research shows that almost one in ten people experience discrimination upon their return to work because of their period of incapacity for work.
Therefore, the responsibility does not lie solely with the person who is ill. Employers, healthcare, and society also play a role.
It is about the balance between capacity and burden. Not only must the individual become stronger. The context must also change. This means focusing on prevention, feasible work, support, and space for recovery.
Because anyone who becomes chronically ill needs understanding and care first and foremost. And anyone who wants to work again needs an environment that makes that possible.