Evaluating absenteeism due to illness in federal educational institutions: analysis of data on staff leave due to sick leave at the federal universities of Pelotas and Rio Grande

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of sick leave among employees of two public universities extreme south of Brazil. Method: Sick leave from January 2015 to December 2019 was analyzed. Universities have similar characteristics in terms of location, number of servers and students served. The indicators were based on the number of leaves presented, number of workers on leave and lost workdays. Leaves were analyzed by professional category, age group, gender, workplace and illness that led to leave. Results: Both universities have a similar profile of illness among servers, with psychiatric disorders and musculoskeletal diseases are health and education professionals. Absenteeism is more present among women. Conclusion: The study results point to the need to discuss strategies that result in changes in the form of work organization, health promotion and quality of life for workers, in order to minimize the impacts that illness brings to workers and institutions.