More than 7 out of 10 employees in Germany experience leisure sickness
71.9% of employees have already experienced leisure sickness: this is the proportion of employees who have at some point felt ill or exhausted on their days off or on holiday. 19.3% of respondents even experience leisure sickness all the time or frequently. In a representative IU study, only 22.2% of employees say they have never experienced leisure sickness.
Question: Have you ever felt ill or exhausted on your days off or on holiday?
Question: How often do you feel ill or exhausted on your days off or on holiday?
From exhaustion to colds: Symptoms of leisure sickness
Fatigue or exhaustion is the symptom of leisure sickness that employees experience most frequently on days off or on holidays. Other symptoms include: sleep problems, irritability, headaches, cold symptoms, gastrointestinal complaints and migraines.
Question: How often do you experience the following symptoms on your days off or on holiday?
Focus
Causes of leisure sickness
Leisure sickness is considered a consequence of stress in a work context (see Leisure sickness: Definition), and stress can have several causes. According to the IU study, the main causes of stress for employees are: high pressure at work, lack of support from supervisors and colleagues, unclear division of tasks, and unclear job definitions. Other stress factors include long working days and a poor work-life balance.
As part of the IU study on leisure sickness, we also wanted to know: how employees cope with their workload, how much overtime they work, and what impact having to be available at all times has on their ability to relax.
Stress factors at a glance
High pressure at work and long working days are particularly stressful for employees aged 25 and under. The 56 and over age group is the least stressed: 29.2% do not find any aspect of their work stressful.
Question: Is there any aspect of your work that you find stressful?
Top 8 answers
High workload: Almost 1 in 10 feels overwhelmed
Just under half of the employees surveyed in Germany report a high workload – but they are mostly able to cope with it. However, for 9.2% the very high workload leads to pressure and feeling overwhelmed. Only 39.9% say that their workload is well balanced and manageable.
Question: How would you best describe your current workload?
People with a high workload in particular tend to shorten their breaks or skip them altogether, which can lead to exhaustion, concentration problems and a weakened immune system.”
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences and expert on health in the workplace
8 out of 10 employees in Germany regularly work overtime
80.6% of employees in Germany say that they regularly work overtime. 42.9% work an average of up to two hours of overtime per week, while 26.0% work three to five hours of overtime per week. 11.6% of employees work an average of 11 or more hours of overtime per week.
Up to 2 hours per week
42.9 %
3–5 hours per week
26.0 %
6–10 hours per week
8.6 %
11–15 hours per week
1.7 %
More than 15 hours per week
1.3 %
I don’t generally work overtime.
19.4 %
Question: How many hours of overtime do you work on average in a working week?
“Having to be available outside working hours affects my ability to relax.”
More than half of those surveyed completely agree or tend to agree with this statement. A third of employees in Germany even feel obliged to be available outside working hours. This is particularly true of respondents aged 25 and under (42.6%).
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “Having to be available outside working hours affects my ability to relax.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I feel obliged to be available outside working hours.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
More than a third of employees read work emails while on holiday
Although the majority of respondents consider having to be available at all times to be a disadvantage, almost half of those surveyed completely agree or tend to agree that they read work emails or messages outside of working hours – and more than a third even do so while on holiday.
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I read work emails / messages outside of working hours.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I read work emails / messages while on holiday.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
The results show a strong sense of obligation among those aged 25 and under, refuting the common stereotype of the 'lazy Generation Z'. Rather than avoiding work, many young employees prioritise availability and responsibility – even outside regular working hours."
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences and expert on health in the workplace
