Four out of ten employees. This is the proportion of French workers who were on sick leave for at least one day in 2024, according to a survey by the consultancy firm Oasys Diot-Siaci carried out with the IFOP among 2,000 employees in the public and private sector, published in 2025. And if flu or gastroenteritis remain at the top of the declared reasons, the figures which follow tell a completely different story – that of a world of work which wears out bodies as much as minds.
Fatigue and stress, the new scourges of work stoppage
If almost half of the arrested employees cite an ordinary illness as the primary cause, the following reasons challenge preconceived ideas. Thus, 37% of respondents mentioned great physical fatigue – a figure that is particularly high among executives and caregivers. A third point to deep psychological fatigue, especially present among women and single parents. And 20% of employees mention psychosocial risks, including stress, as a direct trigger for their termination.
These three reasons are ahead of musculoskeletal disorders, work accidents and chronic illnesses, although traditionally associated with absenteeism. Revealing fact: among the employees who did not stop, more than half admit to having still worked sick – either because they felt capable of doing so, or for fear of losing income.
Working conditions that weaken employees
The study is not limited to stops: it also examines the conditions in which these employees work. A third say they work weekends or public holidays, a quarter work staggered hours, and 13% at night. Above all, three quarters of those questioned work in direct contact with customers or users – and among them, the majority say they have suffered incivility or verbal attacks. A quarter of employees also report having experienced significant professional conflicts during the year, with an over-representation of managers, those under 25 and family caregivers.
Result: seven out of ten employees believe that their job can have negative consequences on their physical or mental health. Among those who specifically fear a psychological impact – almost six out of ten – stress, work overload and lack of recognition top the list of factors cited.
Companies act, but too late
Faced with this observation, professionals in the sector are calling for a change of posture. Nicolas Rebaudo, director of the IAPR Consulting division within the Oasys Diot-Siaci group, emphasizes that when an organization takes these issues head on, the effect on absenteeism is immediate. But he points out a recurring pitfall: companies, including large groups that are making progress on these issues, still too often intervene after the damage is done, rather than upstream, with a view to prevention.
A lesson that takes on its full meaning as the government itself has just presented a plan to reduce sick leave – a plan which, to be effective, will have to attack the roots of the problem rather than just its symptoms.