According to data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, last year absenteeism was around 7%, which means that every day more than 1.5 million workers did not go to work because they were on medical leave. Furthermore, the evolution of recent years shows very significant growth: it has gone from around 3.5 million processes in 2013 to around 8.5 million in 2024, which represents a cumulative increase of 144%.
This increase in absenteeism, the third highest in Europe, means that many employers must assume the cost and absence of those workers who do not go to work. In this context, Carla Barber, businesswoman and reference in the aesthetic medicine sector, has once again made several headlines during her interview on the podcast Find your lifepresented by José Elías and Eric Ponce.
In a conversation focused on her career, her businesses and her vision on entrepreneurship, the former Miss Spain also spoke about one of the problems that worries her most as an employer: sick leave.
Barber explained that there are situations that are difficult for him to understand from his position at the head of the company. Specifically, he referred to employees who stop going to their workplace and, however, maintain normal activity on social networks. “There are those who go on sick leave and are uploading stories to Instagram,” he noted, making clear his discomfort with this type of case.
Carla Barber made this reflection in a broader criticism of the difficulties that, in her opinion, managing a company in Spain entails today. During the conversation, she seemed especially upset with some situations related to sick leave and explained that, from the employer’s position, there are cases that generate a great feeling of helplessness. “Now if someone unsubscribes, you don’t even know why they are unsubscribing,” he says.
The businesswoman went one step further and linked this situation with the daily effort that, as she defended, requires building and maintaining a company. In this sense, he recalled that behind his businesses there is constant dedication and absolute personal involvement. “Every day I get up and work and, unfortunately, if I don’t get up I don’t get billed,” he said during the podcast.
This idea connects directly with the current dimension of your business group. Barber assured that his companies have a staff of about 35 people and that they already achieve a turnover of 11.5 million euros, with an EBITDA greater than 34%. Figures that, far from presenting as a casual success, he related to a very marked culture of effort and his own involvement in the day-to-day business.
An expanding group
Along with her aesthetic medicine clinics, Carla Barber explained that she has also been expanding her activity into other business areas. Among them, a company dedicated to the sale and purchase of cosmetic products stood out, which, according to what it stated, grew by 71% last year. Added to this is another firm linked to supplementation.
In this business structure, the businesswoman also wanted to highlight the role of her mother, who serves as the group’s financial director. Barber assured that he is one of the key people in the operation of his businesses and took the opportunity to claim, once again, the constant effort that, in his opinion, is behind everything he has built.