Half of the healthcare staff in Belgium said they "often" or "always" go to work while unwell due to the workload or staff shortages, according to a member survey by the Christian trade union ACV-CSC.
Over the past few months, the ACV-CSC surveyed more than 5,000 healthcare workers. The results show that 35% of the healthcare staff surveyed work overtime every week.
A further 40% have to cover for colleagues several times a month. This means they work between five and as many as 40 extra hours per month.
The main reasons cited are illness or absence of colleagues, structural staff shortages and unexpected crisis situations. As a result, half of those surveyed also state that they "often" or "always" go to work despite being ill.
Furthermore, 18% state that overtime is "mandatory in practice". Nearly half say that it is "not mandatory, but is expected" by their employer.
The vast majority of those surveyed do say, however, that overtime is properly recorded. More than half are usually able to take time off in lieu in good time. But for one-fifth of those surveyed, this is explicitly not the case.
"It is a vicious circle," trade union representative Michael Vandenbroucke told De Standaard. "Staff shortages lead to more overtime. That leads to exhaustion, absenteeism and staff leaving the healthcare sector. And that, in turn, exacerbates the shortages, meaning even more overtime is required."
