Stress major cause of teacher absences due to illness
Stress and burnout are the leading cause of sick days for primary and secondary school teachers in Flanders, according to figures released by the government
Parents and students are increasingly demanding of teachers
The second-leading cause of illness is joint problems, which held teachers at home for 230,000 days. Psychological illnesses particularly affected teachers over the age of 56; a full half of their sick days were for that reason.
Experts responded to the figures with little surprise. “Psychological issues mostly affect those who have a lot of contact with other people at their job,” says Anke Luts of ISW Limits, a spin-off of the University of Leuven that works on well-being in the workplace. “Teachers suffer from the demands of both parents and students and struggle to fulfil many administrative duties.”
Photo by Mango Productions/Corbis
