The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telework and short sickness absences among Finnish knowledge workers.

Introduction: Longitudinal studies are rare for associations between telework and sickness absence (SA). This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate short (1-3 days) SA from 2019 to 2023 among a cohort of Finnish knowledge workers and the role of telework in short SA. Methods: Complete employer-owned register data on SA and telework were available from four organizations for 2019-2023, comprising 924 employees. Weekly means of telework days/week and short (1-3 days) SA days were calculated and analyzed using conditional Poisson with fixed-effects to obtain incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The levels of short SA were low from 2019 to 2023, while telework increased at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained at an elevated level. In a fully adjusted model, each 1-day increase in telework was associated with a higher likelihood of short SA (IRR 1.35, 95%CI 1.22, 1.50). Conclusion: Telework has become a central way of working among Finnish knowledge workers since the COVID-19 pandemic, while shortSA has remained at a low level. A higher number of weekly teleworking days may be linked to a higher likelihood of short SA, indicating that workplaces should pay special attention to their employees' wellbeing and health.