Absenteeism | National Sickie Day - new data reveals the real story behind workplace absences

February 3rd marked National Sickie Day, traditionally recognised as the first Monday of February, when employees are most likely to call in sick. The term was coined in 2011 by British law firm ELAS, and for years, it has been assumed that this is the peak day for workplace absences. However, new data challenges this assumption.

Figures from Employment Hero ranked last year’s National Sickie Day a lowly 112th for absences in 2024.

Instead, Fridays have emerged as the most popular day for calling in sick, with all but one of the top 10 sick days in 2024 falling on a Friday. Employment Hero’s analysis of absence patterns across 90,000 UK employees shows that the average Friday sees 19% more sick leave than the next highest weekday - Tuesday. 

One explanation could be the rise of ‘Thirsty Thursdays,’ with the penultimate day of the working week now the most popular day for office attendance since working from home became more common post-pandemic. Another significant factor is end-of-week fatigue, as 65% of UK workers report suffering from burnout in recent months.