Is Sick Leave Due to Work-Related Stress Possible?

Newly released data from Poland’s Social Insurance Institution reveals that mental disorders and stress-related conditions have become major drivers of employee absenteeism in 2026.

Is Sick Leave Due to Work-Related Stress Possible?

Sick leave due to mental disorders and behavioral disturbances—which often directly correlate with work-related stress—remains one of the primary causes of absenteeism among Polish workers. The latest ZUS data indicates that in the first half of 2026, they accounted for 14.8% of all sickness absence days, translating to 18.2 million days of medical leave.

Workload Overload Evident in Hard ZUS Data

Compared to the same period last year, their share increased by 1.4 percentage points, making them one of the fastest-growing causes of workplace absence. The growing share of absences related to stress and mental disorders is also analyzed by GI Group labor market experts, who attribute this phenomenon increasingly to an excess of duties and changes in work organization. This is confirmed by the results of the “2026 Labor Market Barometer” by GI Group Holding, showing that as many as 42% of employees feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities.

Musculoskeletal Disorders and Mental Health Lead L4 Causes

What do working Poles most frequently fall ill with? The Medical Certificate Register recorded 14.1 million medical certificates for temporary incapacity to work issued for a total of 147.7 million days of sickness absence in the first half of 2026, covering own illness, childcare, and care for another family member. Data from the Social Insurance Institution shows that musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders generate the highest number of sickness absence days, accounting for 17.5% of all leave days (21.6 million days) from January to June.

The second most frequent cause was mental and behavioral disorders (14.8%; 18.2 million days), ahead of injuries and poisoning (14.0%; 17.2 million days), respiratory diseases (13.1%; 16.1 million days), and pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium (12.7%; 15.6 million days). In total, musculoskeletal disorders alongside mental and behavioral disorders accounted for 32.3% of all sickness absence days, meaning nearly every third day of sick leave in Poland was linked to these two categories of conditions.

Shifts in Absence Structures and Market Research

Concurrently, the structure of reasons for absence is changing, with the share of respiratory disease absences dropping by 3.2 percentage points and pregnancy-related absences decreasing by 0.4 percentage points, while leaves caused by injuries and poisonings rose by 1.5 percentage points alongside mental disorders climbing by 1.4 percentage points. This trend reflects findings from the GI Group Holding “Labor Market Barometer 2026,” where 42% of employees declare overload, particularly noted by managers (47.8%), senior specialists (45.9%), transportation and logistics workers (59%), public sector employees (46.3%), and retail staff (45.5%).

Mateusz Skiba, Manager at Grafton Recruitment, emphasizes that exhaustion and stress signal poor work organization, warning that companies operating under constant pressure suffer long-term drops in efficiency and higher turnover. GI Group Holding data demonstrates that these overloads lead to stress, fatigue, work-life balance struggles, efficiency drops, and increased errors.

Disappointment with Corporate Reality: 30 Percent Speak Out

Alarming overload statistics are complemented by data on systemic support, with the National Mental Health Test by Medonet and Harmonia showing half of respondents report no open discussion of mental health in their workplace. Only 20% believe employers properly support mental health, just 6% rate care very highly, and 30% label company actions insufficient while about half call them average. Karolina Popiel, Partner at Wyser Executive Search, remarks that organizations typically react only after problems translate to absence, underlining that wellbeing must extend beyond isolated initiatives into daily management decisions.

Health Leaves Across Genders and Global Context

ZUS records indicate absence reasons vary by gender, with men mostly missing work due to back pain (5.1%) and upper respiratory infections (5.1%), followed by reactions to severe stress and adjustment disorders (F43) at 4.5% compared to 4% previously. Among women, pregnancy-related obstetric care led at 19.5%, followed by reactions to severe stress and adjustment disorders (F43) at 6.3% up from 5.5%, demonstrating that stress-related L4 leaves are growing among both genders.

The rising volume of mental disorder leaves is not solely a Polish phenomenon, as World Health Organization data indicates over a billion people globally live with mental disorders, representing about 14% of the global population, with anxiety and depression making up over two-thirds. Karolina Popiel adds that these data signal employers must recognize long-term pressure and lack of recovery time ultimately damage staff retention and operational continuity.

Short Absences Harder Than Long Illnesses

Labor market experts note that short ad hoc absences when employees unexpectedly drop from the schedule pose greater organizational challenges than predictable long-term leaves. Tomasz Tarabuła, Key Account Director at Gi Group Holding, points out that while long-term leaves for mental disorders allow emergency planning and recruitment, a wave of short absences disrupts operational stability, forcing shift-based businesses to pay overtime and reorganize immediately.

Concluding the analysis, taking sick leave for workplace stress is indeed possible when linked to psychological disorders, supported by ZUS data for the first half of 2026. Shortest leaves of 1 to 5 days represent 44.5% of all certificates, with nearly one in eleven lasting just a single day, whereas mid-to-long term leaves spanning 11 to 30 days account for 29.3%, and 6 to 10 day certificates comprise 20.9%, collectively illustrating managers’ difficulties in stable operational planning.