[Rate of absenteeism--value and modification by work disability data].

Data on pre-retirement invalidity and incapacity to work are simple process-data gathered from routine procedures within our social system. It is therefore an obvious step to use them in describing the prevalent morbidity and relations between work and the incidence of illnesses. However, closer examinations have shown that the analysis of such secondary data does not provide particularly well-founded results, especially regarding causal relations between work itself and the so-called work-related diseases. All in all, the rate of incapacity for work is a product of illness, personal well-being, individual attitude towards work, and the social environment. The latter is influenced in particular by the management and organisational structures within a company. Therefore, few of the programmes designed to reduce the rate of incapacity to work have any great effect. They aim at the symptoms without really tackling the real causes. Low rates of incapacity to work accompanied by a lasting improvement in the overall productivity of the whole staff can only be achieved by a organisational culture that is based on raising motivation, personal well-being, and health.