Employees ‘pulling a sickie’ cost UK firms £3.5bn annually, according to new research.
The survey, conducted by employment law consultancy Peninsula, interviewed more than 2,000 employers and found that 17% of all company sickness is bogus.
In total, absenteeism costs companies £20.9bn a year and the average amount of sick days has doubled from eight days in 2002 to the current figure of 16 days.
Flu (or its side effects) was the most common illness resulting in time off; while Fridays and Mondays, and days following major sporting events are the most likely to tempt workers to stay in bed.
Absenteeism has a major effect on productivity and is also a perpetuating problem, the report concluded. Employees revealed that a culture where ‘sickies’ are accepted is detrimental to workplace morale and breeds a culture of “Why not me?”
Mike Huss, employment law director at Peninsula, said businesses should take measures to ensure bogus sick days won’t be tolerated.
“Return to work interviews should be enforced to give the employer and the employee the chance to sit down and discuss why they were absent from work,” he said.
“The employer must make it known that bogus sickness will not be dealt with lightly.”
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