Half of workers don't call in sick for fear of losing job

Half of workers don't call in sick for fear of losing job

Job insecurity is the main reason why 49% of Brits have never called in sick to work. That is according to Monster UK and Ireland’s latest survey.

Andy Sumner is the Managing Director for Monster UK and Ireland. He says: “Job insecurity continues to be a major issue, and employers should do more to communicate with their staff that taking sick leave will not put their position in jeopardy.

“The fact is that when people are sick and still turn up for work, productivity and efficiency levels drop dramatically. So it’s of benefit to both the employee and employer for workers to be honest about their health.”

517 people were surveyed on Monster.co.uk. 27% said that that they had only called in sick once a year at their most recent job. 14% said that they had called in sick four to five times. Five per cent said that they had called in sick six or more times.

The survey comes after Harvard Business School and Stanford University released a review of more than 200 scientific studies. The report revealed that job insecurity increases the odds of reporting poor health by about 50%.

Sumner says: “It’s vitally important that employers understand their employees’ wellbeing. Statistics suggests that the number of sick days taken by UK workers continues to fall, yet workloads and working hours are increasing.” 


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