Australians would rather fake a ‘sickie’ than take a day off for mental ill-health

22 January 2019

A sobering truth about modern day wellness is that Australian employees would rather take a sick day and attribute it to a fictitious illness than admit it is for mental health purposes, according to a paper released today by Allianz Australia.

Aimed at helping employers cultivate thriving workplaces, the paper ‘Awareness into action: A holistic approach to cultivating mentally healthy workplaces in Australia’ highlights the enduring stigma associated with mental ill-health in the workplace and the need for a perception shift to see mental ill-health treated like other physical illnesses.

The paper comes in response to research commissioned by Allianz Australia that revealed the vast majority of full-time working Australians (93%) are uncomfortable discussing or disclosing a mental health condition to a manager, and instead would prefer to lie when taking sick day.

In fact, the research found that eighty-five per cent of employees feel their manager is more likely to think their need for time off is genuine if they say they are suffering from a cold or flu rather than for stress or anxiety.

Overall, most employees are generally afraid to talk about mental illness for fear of stigma (90%), and fear of losing their job (78%), and are concerned that mental health issues won’t be taken as seriously as physical illnesses in the workplace (84%).

Mental health-related conditions and symptoms now account for nearly 40 per cent of all Allianz Australia’s total active workers' compensation claims and 11 per cent of all payments.

Helen Silver, Chief General Manager, Allianz Australia said, “We know good worker health and wellbeing boosts organisational health, business performance and productivity, however, there is a rising trend of mental ill-health in Australian workplaces which needs to be addressed.”

“The findings from our research indicate that, despite the progress made by both the public and private sectors, there is still a lot of work to be done by employers to address misconceptions when it comes to mental ill-health.”

According to the paper, for a modern workplace to thrive, it is important that employers adopt a holistic approach that encompasses five key action areas to put the employee at the centre of the mental ill-health equation. These areas are:

  • Physical: Promoting the mental health benefits of physical activity and good general health;
  • Mental: Encouraging awareness through training, mental wellbeing leave and encouraging transparent dialogue; 
  • Space and Role: Creating positive organisational design that directly influences employee motivation and happiness; 
  • Culture: Nurturing a positive workplace culture that is transparent and inclusive;
  • Ecosystems/Partnerships: Developing partnerships and alliances between government, insurers, mental health professionals and other entities to improve communication, engagement and mental health recovery.

“The first step is to encourage employees to be honest and unafraid to seek the necessary treatment they require. This might involve a cultural shift towards transparent dialogue that is led by the leadership team and should be backed by manager training to provide adequate support,” said Ms Silver.

“Actions by employers to create an environment where workers feel they can be safe to identify their mental injury will greatly assist employees. Measures like creating positive organisational design and nurturing a positive workplace culture will also directly influence employee motivation and happiness.”

“As an insurer, Allianz is shifting the conversation away from just focusing on the commercial implications for businesses to understanding and acting on what we can do, in collaboration with employers, to proactively address wellbeing in the workplace.”

“Allianz believes a collaborative and co-designed approach, along with employers and partners, will be instrumental in supporting workers in their quest to return to the workforce quicker.”

“To put it simply, we need to make it clear to all Australians that taking leave for mental health is just as acceptable as taking time off for a physical illness.”

A full breakdown of the research findings can be found in the Allianz Awareness Into Action report (PDF, 2.5MB).

The research was conducted in collaboration with YouGov across Australia. All figures, unless otherwise stated, were provided by YouGov. Total sample comprises of 1,046 full-time working Australians aged 18-64 years, distributed throughout Australia. The survey was carried out online.
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Allianz Australia has been securing the future of our customers in Australia since 1914. We deliver a wide range of personal and commercial insurance products and services to more than 4 million policyholders. We also provide support for workers' compensation insurance to around 25% of the top 200 ASX companies, making us one of the leading workers' compensation insurers in Australia.

Allianz Australia Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the worldwide Allianz Group. The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with corporate customers in more than 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life, and health insurance to assistance services, credit insurance and global business insurance. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
This article has been prepared by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL234708 (“Allianz”). In some cases, information has been provided to us by third parties and while that information is believed to be accurate and reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed in any way.

Any opinions expressed constitute our views at the time of issue and are subject to change. Neither Allianz, nor its employees or directors give any warranty of accuracy or accept responsibility for any loss or liability incurred by you in respect of any error, omission or misrepresentation in this article.
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