Presenteeism | 1 in 8 employees too afraid to call in sick

Increasing numbers of employees are now too afraid to call in sick over fears that their absence will be viewed as a sign of weakness or a lack of commitment to their role.

In fact, according to AXA PPP Healthcare research, 79% of workers are too afraid to admit they are ill and take a day off from work.

Also known as presenteeism, employees are likely to attend work despite feeling unwell, which can often go unnoticed by employers, as they may not notice if a worker is sick and should be at home resting.

And it seems that presenteeism figures are on the rise. According to a CIPD report, 86% of over 1,000 respondents said they had observed presenteeism in their organisation over the last 12 months, compared with 76% in 2016 and 26% in 2010.