National Sickie Day | Presenteeism plaguing UK firms as 71% of staff admit to working while unwell due to stigma of sick leave

On the day that employees are statistically most likely to call in sick, new research reveals that it is, in fact, presenteeism that organisations should really be worried about.

In a poll conducted for ‘National Sickie Day’, HR, payroll and finance expert MHR found that 71% of employees have worked while unwell because of the negative perception of calling in sick. The main concern is it will damage employees’ career progression, reported by nearly three quarters (74%) of respondents.

The findings spotlight a harmful culture of presenteeism across UK organisations, which senior leaders must address – not only for the wellbeing of their employees, but the wellbeing of the business as a whole. Employees that work while unwell are less productive and more prone to making costly errors, which can hurt a company’s bottom line.

Read more from us

Stay away | Third of Brits would prefer colleagues to avoid the office when they're sick

While only 20% of employees admitted to having ‘pulled a sickie’ in the last 12 months, the reasons they cited for doing so are concerning. Of those who did admit to this, nearly a quarter (22%) said it was because their company culture made them feel demotivated, meanwhile almost half (46%) put it down to overwhelming workloads.