200 HR Interviews: The biggest pitfalls in tackling mental absenteeism

Psychological absenteeism: an insidious problem that puts pressure on organizations

Psychological absenteeism is more than just a trend or a temporary problem. In many organizations, it is an insidious challenge that puts pressure on both employees and HR. To paint an honest and complete picture, we have Empowr spacious 200 conversations conducted with HR managers, managers and employees from various sectors.

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The results show that:

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• 1. Early identification of psychological complaints is inadequate

• • 70% of HR professionals say that employees come forward too late with complaints.
• • Only 30% of organizations use tools to recognize signals early.
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• 2. Managers are insufficiently equipped to discuss mental complaints

• • 50% of managers do not feel trained enough to recognize stress and psychological complaints.
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• 3. HR itself struggles with too much workload

• • 60% of the HR teams say they are structurally short of time for welfare policies.
• • Nearly 40% of respondents themselves call the mental strain of HR employees a growing problem.
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• 4. Well-being is often seen as an independent initiative

• • Only 35% of the organizations have board members who are actively involved in welfare policy.
• • 65% of HR professionals say that wellbeing initiatives are often not structural.
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This article takes you through the most striking insights, enriched with real-life stories.

1. Early detection: most organizations only act in the event of failure

One thing became clear during the interviews: many companies wait to intervene until it tardy is. While preventive signaling of stress and burnout is actually crucial to prevent long-term absenteeism.

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An HR advisor from the consultancy sector explains:

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“We only see that someone has trouble when productivity plummets or the sick report arrives. That's just too late.”

What is striking here is that the signals have often been there for a long time, but are not noticed. Think of changes in behavior, emotional reactions or an accumulation of small absences. However, many organizations lack a proactive approach.‍

‍The numbers speak volumes:

• • Only 30% of HR departments uses preventative tools, such as health checks or dashboards.
• • 70% relies entirely on the willingness to report by employees themselves—something that is often unrealistic.
• Another HR manager says about this:

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“Employees often don't say they're doing badly. They don't want to show weakness or think it's temporary.”

2. Managers lack the skills to discuss mental complaints

Many managers do not feel equipped to discuss mental complaints. This appears to be one of the biggest bottlenecks in preventing psychological absenteeism.

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An HR director from the tech sector says:

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“Well-being leadership is now just as important as leadership on results. But that's not what our managers are judged on, let alone trained on.”

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The challenges at a glance:

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• • 50% of managers do not feel trained enough.
• • In organizations where there are training courses, signals are recognized more quickly and discussed more proactively.

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An HR advisor describes the impact of training as follows:

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“After the training, we had team leaders who asked for the first time: 'How are you really doing? ' That simple question already made so much difference.”

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This highlights the importance of training and support for executives.

3. HR departments have the right intentions, but are walking on their own gums

A remarkable result of the interviews is that HR teams themselves often struggle with too much workload. While they are responsible for welfare policy, they often lack time and resources.

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“Our HR team consists of three people, and we have to do recruitment, absenteeism and a thousand other things. We really want to do more for wellbeing, but where do we get the time?”

According to an HR employee from the retail sector.

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The interviews show that:

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• • 60% of HR teams does not have enough time for a welfare policy.
• • Almost 40% say they are under pressure themselves due to a high workload.

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An HR manager summarizes this aptly:

“We're trying to repair the plane while we're flying ourselves. Sometimes we are just as overworked as the employees we need to support.”

This underlines the need to relieve not only employees, but also HR itself.

4. A cultural change is necessary to make well-being a real part of the organization

In addition to challenges related to signaling and workload, the interviews show that well-being is often still seen as a separate action rather than an integral part of the company culture.

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“If you don't make mental health an integral part of your culture, you're going to keep mopping around.”

_{What is often missing?}

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• 1. Commitment from above: Only 35% of the respondents see active involvement from the management.
  • 2. Integral approach: Many companies lack a vision of how wellbeing is linked to business results.

• 3. Long-term initiatives: Short-term actions are often preferred over structural solutions.
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Another HR manager gives as an example:

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“We organized a vitality week. Very nice, but what happens next? It should be more than just a one-off initiative.”

The key insights from 200 interviews: what does this tell us?

The interviews clearly show that psychological absenteeism is not just a problem for the employee himself. It requires a wider, systemic change within organizations.

Key Insights:

1. 1. Early signaling: The signals are often already there, but are not detected in time.
2. 2. Leadership as key: Managers can make a difference, provided they are properly supported.
3. 3. HR workload: HR itself often does not have the capacity to prioritize well-being.
4. 4. Cultural change: Well-being must become a structural part of the organizational culture.
5. These insights not only provide a clear overview of where things are going wrong, but also where organizations can start to make real change.

What next? The first step starts with listening

These results are based on more than 200 conversations with HR professionals, managers and employees. Their stories show that change is possible—provided organizations are willing to listen and act.

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Bee Empowr we believe that wellbeing is not just an HR theme, but a fundamental prerequisite for success. Do you want to know how to strengthen your organization? Get in touch with us today.

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