WILLEMSTAD - Many people in Curaçao do not report being sick for medical reasons. As many as two out of three reports of illness are not due to illness.
That is a remarkable conclusion from research done by consultancy Optima Arbo. Three years after the research, it appears that the problem behind the sick reports has barely been addressed. “In general, people don't call in sick for medical reasons at all, but because of a conflict, problems in the workplace or in their private life,” says Arthur Nivellac of the consultancy.
According to Nivellac, companies do not invest enough in their employees. “Employees still have the idea that work is purely for making money. You notice that the service of a company is not as it should be. That's because people aren't motivated."
65 percent of the cases of illness appear not to be really sick. That costs a lot of money unnecessarily, says the health and safety specialist. Employers would not spend time figuring out the reason for the sick report.
In addition, the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) looks at people who officially report sick through medical glasses. “They don't look at what else could be going on. As a result, people cannot be referred to the right care providers.”