A recent report has found that sick days at work have hit the highest level in 10 years. The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that staff took, on average, almost eight sick days in the past year, up from 5.8 days before the pandemic. Building a healthier workplace is therefore more important […]

A third of animal owners confess they’ve dodged work to pander to a poorly pet. According to a new survey, 42% of employees have lied to their boss and bagged a day off to attend to their ailing animal. One in three respondents admit that on their return to ‘full health’, they sneak off during […]

Research by HR software provider breatheHR reveals the staggering cost of small business employees bunking off work – a whopping £900 million. The report found one in seven employees admitted to feigning illness, while some appear to be serial offenders, pulling a sickie on average three times a year. In the survey of 1500 British […]

Recent UK productivity improvements may well take a tumble today on what’s become colloquially known as National Sickie Day. The Employment Law Experts predict that approximately 350,000 people will call in sick, costing the economy around £45 million in wages, lost hours and overtime. Online accounting software company FreeAgent – which provides software for freelancers, micro-businesses and their accountants […]

Just in time for National Sickie Day on 6 February, UK bosses have revealed the most ludicrous reasons given by employees when calling in sick. The research conducted by Powwownow found that one in five (21%) employees in the UK are likely to give an outlandish reason for not coming in to work, compared with […]

With Blue Monday coming up on 16 January, morale is low across the UK. New research shows employees are more likely to pull a sickie in the first quarter (January to March) than any other time of year. A survey conducted by workforce management software and services company Kronos reveals 37% of Brits predicted that […]

New research of UK SMEs from AXA PPP healthcare reveals a productivity dip when ill employees turn up for work, but bosses are dubious that the flu warrants time off. Nearly six out of 10 (58%) managers of British SMEs say productivity suffers when unwell employees show up to work and try to soldier on. Yet, […]

As winter sets in, maintaining a healthy workforce is key for employers across the UK. From colds and flu spread by coughs and sneezes to cases of norovirus (an extremely infectious stomach bug), businesses should prepare for an increase in ailments during the colder seasons. Employees on sick leave, even for one or two days, […]

Paying attention to posture at work could save companies millions in employee sick days, says neck and spine authority NeckStar. Research has shown that back pain is one of the leading reasons for absence at work, with around three million individuals citing it as a cause for sick leave last year. Sick days cost UK […]

There are days when you’re genuinely ill and simply can’t go into the office. Then there those days when you just can’t face a day at work and need to pull a sickie. Well, a new study by market research company Attest shows the best time to call in sick is Tuesday at 6.38am. The […]

A new report has revealed that one in four employees have taken time off work in the last year due to stress-related problems, a figure that has been described as an employee stress ‘time bomb’. The report, titled “Breaking the Cycle”, which has been published by health and wellbeing provider BHSF, warns that stress-related issues […]

The end of the year marks the start of the busy season for many small businesses. When you combine together extra hours with the arrival of colds and the flu, you can easily find yourself in the perfect storm of productivity – too many deadlines and too few staff. Minor illnesses such as cold, coughs […]

It’s that dreadful time of year when your colleagues start falling victim to the much-feared cold and flu season. Being sick takes a lot out of you and can be harmful to productivity in the business too. While it’s not possible to completely prevent the spread of germs, following these simple steps could reduce your […]

Four in five (87%) line managers are not given any training on how to support people with long-term conditions including cancer, according to new research by Macmillan Cancer Support. A YouGov survey of 1010 line managers also revealed a misconception; a quarter (26%) thought making reasonable adjustments to allow someone with cancer to keep working […]

Men are given twice as much flexibility than women when it comes to working hours, according to new research. The study, conducted by conference call service provider Powwownow, found that on average men work six hours flexibly per week, compared to just three hours worked by women. Surprisingly, less than half of women (47%) are […]

The UK and Ireland offer the worst pay for time off sick across Europe, new research has shown. In fact, the amount of mandatory sick pay available to workers in the UK for a week of sick leave totals just £35.96 – and nothing at all in Ireland. Through a combination of low sick pay […]

More than a third of UK employees are nervous about asking their bosses for time off sick, with one in five uncomfortable about even asking for holiday. The unease of British workers was revealed in a survey by Printerland.co.uk, with a shocking 25% of employees stating that they don’t feel valued. The survey, which quizzed 1000 […]

Current regulations say employers can require staff to fill out a sickness self-certification form for absences of up to seven days. In a bid to open appointments for more urgent matters, the British Medical Association (BMA) is calling for that period to be extended to 14 days. Dr Richard Vautrey, Chairman of the BMA’s General […]