The cost of hospital healthcare workers’ poor health

Absenteeism among healthcare professionals represents a significant challenge, particularly in public hospitals, with the hospital sector in France reporting an average absenteeism rate of 8%, one of the highest across industries. Equally concerning is presenteeism due to health issues, often overlooked despite its impact. Demanding working conditions, elevated occupational risks, and complex relational environments contribute to health and productivity losses, further aggravated by burnout. Addressing caregivers' health requires ambitious public health initiatives to improve working conditions, especially when the costs of inaction outweigh investments in prevention. This study aims to estimate the indirect costs of health-related productivity losses across various hospital professions and healthcare facility types. These costs, including lost wages and friction costs, are often underestimated but amount to approximately €4.5 billion in France. According to human capital theory, health directly influences the return on human capital. Thus, absenteeism and presenteeism lead to productivity losses, imposing significant financial burdens on hospitals. The study uses simple multiplier coefficients to monetize the effects of absenteeism and presenteeism. The survey is based on a questionnaire adapted from Strömberg et al. (2017), tailored to the French hospital context. Addressed to team leaders in healthcare facilities, the survey collects insights from managers (e.g., hospital directors, healthcare executives, and medical managers) on the impact of health issues among healthcare professionals on activity and care quality. Managers were chosen for their critical role in implementing preventive programs and their comprehensive understanding of team dynamics, particularly during staff absences or reduced productivity periods. An ordered Probit model is employed to assess the effects of healthcare professionals' health issues on activity levels and care quality. The results confirm that absenteeism leads to substantial costs and significantly impacts hospital activity and care quality. Additionally, the findings highlight that presenteeism, though less frequently addressed, also incurs notable productivity losses and compromises care quality. As presenteeism often precedes or follows absenteeism, it is likely underreported and underestimated. This study underscores the need to recognize presenteeism as a costly issue for hospitals, affecting both productivity and the quality of care provided.