Absenteeism | MP's sick day admission is something HR shouldn't ignore

The MP Jess Phillips’ admission that she called in sick to avoid answering questions about Peter Mandelson is an unusual example of a familiar workplace behaviour.

In an interview at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the politician said she once pretended to be ill because she could not honestly hold the government line on Mandelson - the then-US ambassador - if questioned by MPs.

Phillips added that she then “luckily” did fall ill after all after initially lying about being sick.

Parliament may be unlike most workplaces, but the dynamic here is recognisable to every HR leader: an employee feels unable to confront a difficult situation openly and decides that illness is the only explanation likely to be accepted without argument.