The findings of the study may not be generalizable to employees in all fields of work like recruits in the study who worked for a manufacturing plant were more liable to have slow days than those who worked in the office or health care field. The researchers stated that more studies are required to conclude the effect of workload on employee sick days in various occupations.

In the study 1,430 employees at six Swedish companies were observed for three to 12 months. Amongst the employees 546 took a leave over the study period. During their time off employees were asked whether they had undergone a slow work day anytime in the two-week period before the sick day, and on the sick day itself.

After gathering the answers from the employees the researchers concluded that having a light workload was not common amid the employees for taking a sick leave. 88 percent of the participants who took a sick leave claimed that they had not experienced a slow day at work in the two weeks leading up to their sick day. The researchers said that the results of the study demonstrate that the outcome of a light workload on taking a sick leave can be real but is quite small.