Illness

Whether suffering from a short illness from an infection, virus, injury, or mild medical condition, or a chronic disease or disability, employees face periods of poor health during their working years. Beyond the symptoms and consequences of the illness, employees may face penalties such as disciplinary action if required to miss work. In some cases, work causes the illnesses that employees suffer. Illness relates to poor health resulting [Page 412]from a medical condition; however, illness is also socially constructed and reflects the values and social conventions of the time. To illustrate this, Isabell Schierenbeck provides an in-depth analysis of documents from four national insurance offices in Sweden during two time periods, the late 1970s and the late 1990s. Her investigation shows that in the latter time frame, nonmedical conditions such as the familial context played a role in decisions regarding disabilities and sick leave. Previously, decision makers adopted a much narrower conception of illness and ignored any factors not clearly related to a medical condition. These results reflect a biosocial model of illness that presupposes a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors that influence an individual's health and well-being. The biosocial model reflects a more holistic understanding of employee health, demonstrated in the changing approach to employee disabilities in Sweden, that is the dominant paradigm by which contemporary medical and management professionals view illness. However, cultural factors also play a role in how individuals comprehend illness and disease. Popular perceptions of mental health, for example, still stigmatize individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses. Those suffering from mental illness may fail to seek treatment because of possible prejudice or discrimination, or because of the faulty but popular sentiment that mental illnesses are not real conditions but instead fantasies constructed by the patient.

When employees suffer physical or mental illnesses of short- or long-term duration, both employees and the businesses that employ them are affected. Depending on the severity and type of illness, sickness can cause an employee to have decreased productivity and performance. Some illnesses require employees to miss work, or log a sickness absence, if the illness is severe enough to restrict the employee's behavior, stamina, or mobility, or if it might be contagious to co-workers or customers in the work environment. Episodes of employee illness are relevant to business not just because of potential lost productivity and performance. Many illnesses are caused by the work conducted by the employee or by the physical or psychosocial environment at work.

One of the most common illnesses affecting employees relates to musculoskeletal pain. Often, this originates with the employee's job design. Repetitive, strenuous movements, such as that experienced on an assembly line or in a warehouse, may cause lower back pain, while spending a workday at a computer might lead to conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Employees who work with hazardous chemicals, though protected by strict regulations in most countries, are still vulnerable to exposure. Contact with asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma. Other chemicals have been associated with cancer, reproductive disruption, skin disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. As discussed in the work of Phil Taylor and colleagues, customer service representatives in call centers in the United Kingdom suffered from throat and vocal disorders. Job stress and burnout, often the result of increased demands and decreased material, emotional, or social support, afflict workers of all nationalities. Workplace characteristics such as leadership, emotional labor, or perceptions of injustice within the organization can create stress and anxiety, leading to employee illness.

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