8.6 Million Workers Faked Sick Days in 2019

The average worker takes four sick days a year and 8.6 million faked sick days in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

Released on “National Sickie Day”, the date when employees are most likely to take a sick day, a new Insight report claimed stress about workloads and poor company culture were to blame. Reasons given for faking sick days included conflicts with colleagues, poor management and feeling overworked.  

However, the survey also claims 12 million workers (of a 33 million strong working population) went to work despite genuinely being ill. Many respondents said this was because they couldn’t afford to take an unpaid day off, a common problem faced by self-employed workers or those on zero hours contracts, while others reported fearing judgement from bosses. Additionally, many employees admit to pretending to have physical illnesses because they feel uncomfortable telling bosses they need time off for mental health reasons. 

Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees’ safety and wellbeing – both mental and physical. It’s good practice to create an open, trusting culture in the workplace, that encourages employees to be honest about their concerns. 

A rising trend to solve the problem is flexible working, allowing employees to work from home on days they may otherwise have taken off sick. Remote working is one of the most highly valued employee benefits – reducing the stress, cost and time of travelling to work. By offering this perk, employers are likely to find their employees take far fewer disingenuous sick days and feel generally more motivated and engaged with their work.