Bad experiences at work may not make employees sick on their own, but they can increase the odds of a sick call, according new research out of Sweden.

A study, published in the online journal BMC Public Health, found that workers in various industries were more likely to take sick leave in the days following unpleasant experiences with colleagues or bosses, and also in time to avoid a workday anticipated to be particularly stressful.

Researchers from the Karolinksa Institutet, Linkoping University and Uppsala University studied more than 500 cases of people taking sick leave in Sweden from a variety of industries between 2005 and 2007.

When a person made a sick call, he or she was 4.68 times more likely than average to have had a personal problem with a colleague just prior to the first day of leave. This odds ratio was determined by comparing instances of such conflicts for this worker in the two days that preceded the sick call to the two weeks leading up to that.

Problems with a superior were 3.63 times more likely in the days that preceded a sick call, using the same criteria.

Also, workers who called in sick were 2.27 times more likely to anticipate a "very stressful work situation" - which could include having a bigger-than-normal workload with limited staff - on the first day they took leave.

Martin Shain, a professor of occupational health with the University of Toronto, said the findings of the Swedish study ring true for him "intuitively."

"I think (absenteeism) is one of the primary reasons for trying to reduce conflict at work and increase what I call the psychological safety of the workplace," Shain said.

Gary Johns, a professor of management with Concordia University, said managers dealing directly with employees can play a big role in reducing this kind of absenteeism.

"On the ground, the individual manager can have a feel for these kinds of problems and kind of spot them as they're developing," he stated.

The study does not suggest most people are faking their illnesses, noting that "most sick-leave spells happened in relation to acute, minor illnesses that substantially reduced work ability." However, it concluded: "Psychosocial work-environmental factors appear to have a shortterm effect on individuals when deciding to report sick."