“After two years of hiatus, the ball of pain is still there. The testimony of this woman says a lot about the evil that gnaws at her. Like 1,600 territorial officials in the North, his long-term work stoppage is linked to a mental health problem. A problem that today affects nearly one in two sick leaves.
What to make react the Center of management of the territorial public service of the North (CDG 59) which deals with human resources within the 950 local and regional authorities of less than 30,000 inhabitants, ie 27,000 civil servants. Because most of the time, these employees find it very difficult to return to work.
Find solutions
This “human and financial cost” therefore forced CDG 59 to sound the alarm two years ago. “We took up this question by commissioning an in-depth study on the subject. The objective is to find solutions, ”explains the management center.
During these two years, about sixty people, including occupational physicians and researchers from the National Center for Arts and Crafts (Cnam), dissected the sick leaves linked to overwork, burn-out or sleep disorders.
“This is the first time that an investigation of this scope has been carried out in France. We put our finger on something, but the analysis work remains difficult, ”testifies the CDG. Of the 600 questionnaires sent to long-term patients, only twelve people agreed to participate.
Mental fatigue
“These are people in extreme pain,” says Dominique Lhuillier, work psychologist at Cnam. This situation is not specific to the public service, but when it happens in a company, the person is often dismissed because they are declared unfit for work. This practice is not usual in the public service. “
“The people most affected often work in the field of early childhood. The confrontational confrontation with parents, the attention that must be paid to children… All of this causes mental fatigue that we also find in municipal police officers, for example, ”notes the CDG.
Without forgetting the violence of colleagues or management. Or quite simply the economic situation. “The community I worked for had just one thing in mind: downsizing. The workload is increasing. I continue as long as I don’t crack. One day, the body no longer responds, the machine is empty, ”testifies an official who volunteered for the study.
Experimental solutions
Two municipalities in the Lille metropolitan area have already put in place experimental solutions to get out of this process. At La Madeleine, individual support has made it possible to bring back half of the people placed in long illness. “A fairly rare proportion”, adds the CDG.
In Lambersart, the town hall is working on digital inclusion for older workers. This enabled, for example, a maintenance agent to work in the multiservice reception. According to the CDG, “we must quickly identify the first signs of deterioration at work: annoyance which becomes more and more aggressive, an unusual way of working, increasing absenteeism …”
And Dominique Lhuillier confirms: “It is important to find means of action because all these problems can affect any employee”.