Nearly 30 per cent of employees admit to considering or actually calling in sick when healthy, according to MetLife UK’s research.
The survey emphasises the reasons why workers take sick days as National Sickie Day, which falls on February 3rd, draws near.
Women are more prone than men to experience burnout, with 40 per cent reporting it. Others give personal reasons, such as attending appointments, providing emergency childcare, or taking care of a family member.
Of those who called in sick, 31 per cent took three days off, 17 per cent took less than a day, and 45 per cent took up to a week off.
MetLife UK head of employee benefits Adrian Matthews says: “Stress, declining productivity and a lack of engagement continue to be a significant challenge for many employees contributing to increasing absenteeism in the UK.
“While taking pre-arranged and paid time off work is crucial for employee well-being, it’s essential to understand the underlying reasons for increased sick leave – both genuine illness and sickie days. These absences can stem from a variety of factors, including mental health concerns, financial stress and childcare challenges. Nearly 3 million people are currently out of work with long-term ill-health, and it’s holding businesses and their people back.
“Prioritising mental health is key! When you aren’t 100 per cent mentally, going to work can feel hard. As an employee, if you’re ever worried or concerned about your mental health in the work place, it’s important to explore what employee benefits your employer offers, there may be support.
At MetLife, we work alongside businesses to offer Group Income Protection, which helps support employees through health and sickness, with gamified wellbeing tools, as well as early intervention, rehabilitation, recovery and return-to-work support. Our aim is for the group income protection product to enhance employee wellbeing and empower employers to ‘keep work working.'”