When Work Becomes a Health Issue, Companies Are Being Pushed to Rethink Their Priorities

With psychological strain rising and climate pressures adding new stress, specialists say companies need a strategic reset — and human resources should finally have a permanent seat on the board.

Great Place To Work Österreich said in mid-July 2026 that working conditions, company culture and leadership have a direct effect on health, motivation and economic success. The era when personnel work was seen as little more than administration is over, the organization said.

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Stress and illness are already hitting output

The numbers behind the debate are stark. According to a 2025 Techniker-Krankenkassen study, 66 percent of people in Germany often feel stressed, up 16 percent over the course of a decade. The DAK Report 2025 puts the average absence period for mental illness at 33 lost days.

The OECD has also sounded the alarm, saying mental illness costs Europe’s economy billions. Weather is part of the problem too. An Allianz study found that productivity falls by three percent for every degree above 30 degrees Celsius. Berlin had already recorded nine hot days in 2026, compared with an average of fewer than five in the 1950s.

Experts recommend flexible working hours and relaxed dress codes as initial countermeasures.

Family-friendly policies are being treated as a resilience tool

At the end of June 2026, around 380 participants discussed work and family at the “Erfolgsfaktor Familie” network. Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump of Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences said family-friendliness is a key building block of corporate resilience.

One practical example comes from LIPA Lichtpartner GmbH in Dornburg. The company, founded in 2018, uses an end-to-end ergonomic concept in production. Electrically height-adjustable worktables and mobile stations create inclusive workplaces. The LWV Hessen integration office supported the project, which took shape in a new building in 2021.

Working while sick remains common

Presenteeism remains widespread. A Civey survey conducted in mid-June 2026 among 2,000 employed people found that 95.2 percent had already gone to work while ill. Around 72 percent feel pressure to justify themselves if they call in sick. The group most affected is 18- to 29-year-olds, with more than 82 percent reporting that pressure.

At the same time, policymakers are discussing tougher rules. In June 2026, the pension commission proposed a mandatory health check from age 45 and expanded case management. A medical certificate from the first day of illness and the abolition of telephone sick notes are also being considered.

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Critics warn that such measures could create extra hurdles for people with chronic illnesses and place further strain on doctors’ practices.

Health inequality is shortening lives

The NRW Social Report 2026 highlights the social dimension of health. Men in lower income groups die, on average, eight years earlier than wealthier men, while the gap for women is four years. Unemployment is regarded as a major health risk factor.

Changes are also being prepared in the area of financial protection. A draft law from July 2026 provides that sick pay will no longer be paid from 2027 if insured persons receive a partial pension of more than two thirds of the full pension. The measure is intended to relieve statutory health insurance by around 30 million euros a year — but its social fairness is being disputed.

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