Workers in Regional Laboratory Province taking approximately 30 days off due to illness - Healthcare Workers at Regional Hospital facing about a month-long staff shortage due to illness.
Care Workers in Rhineland-Palatinate Absent for Approximately 30 DaysLast Year
In Rhineland-Palatinate, care workers were absent for nearly 30 days last year, according to a recent analysis by the regional office of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). This figure is significantly higher than the national average, with care professionals absent for 29.8 days, compared to the overall average of 20 days for employed individuals in Germany.
The increased number of sick days can be largely attributed to demanding working conditions in the care sector. These include stress, mental and physical strain, and the shortage of skilled workers. The TK regional office in Rhineland-Palatinate emphasized that mental health issues accounted for approximately six of the 30 absences, while musculoskeletal problems accounted for around five absences.
Jörn Simon, head of the TK regional office in Rhineland-Palatinate, called for improved working conditions, including opportunities for further training, allowing specially trained care staff to handle certain medical tasks, and flexible work schedules to achieve a better work-life balance. These measures could not only alleviate mental strain but also make care professions more attractive to new starters or returnees.
The TK regional office also highlighted the importance of workplace health management to support employees in maintaining their health and staying in their demanding jobs longer. They believe that such measures could contribute to addressing the skills shortage in the care sector.
In an effort to alleviate mental strain and attracted potential care workers, the German Red Cross (DRK) in Rhineland-Palatinate offers voluntary service opportunities in residential, outpatient, and day care settings. Volunteers perform basic care and household tasks, while also receiving social support responsibilities. These opportunities are paired with educational seminars addressing both practical skills and emotional well-being, fostering a supportive structure that helps volunteers and care workers manage the demands of their roles.
Through educational resources, organizational guidance, and support networks, the DRK aims to reduce individual stress among care workers, ensuring they are well-informed and connected to a network of support. The educational seminars and exchange meetings organized by the DRK are designed not only to improve care skills but to promote well-being and resilience among care workers by addressing the emotional demands of their roles.
While specific measures tackling the skills shortage beyond volunteer recruitment were not detailed in the available sources, the combination of voluntary engagement, educational support, and community-building constitutes a practical approach to both reduce mental strain and recruit new potential care workers in the region.
In summary, improved working conditions in Rhineland-Palatinate's care sector aim to mitigate mental strain and help address the skills shortage by strengthening voluntary care services with educational seminars, community support, and well-being initiatives coordinated by the German Red Cross.
- Jörn Simon, head of the TK regional office in Rhineland-Palatinate, suggested implementing vocational training programs to prepare care staff for handling certain medical tasks, with the aim of improving their skills and reducing absences due to medical-conditions, particularly chronic diseases.
- The German Red Cross (DRK) in Rhineland-Palatinate offers vocational training to volunteers, who perform care tasks alongside receiving social support responsibilities and participating in educational seminars on practical skills and emotional well-being.
- Besides reducing mental strain among care workers, the vocational training provided by the DRK aims to promote health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and mental-health in the workplace, contributing to workplace wellness and employee retention.
- To attract more care workers and address the skills shortage, Rhineland-Palatinate's community policy should focus on providing opportunities for further training, flexible work schedules, and workplace health management programs that emphasize community policy, science, and the importance of health-and-wellness in the care sector.
