Do you feel guilty when calling in sick at work? This might be why...
8 hours ago
By Nick Triggle (Health correspondent)
You wake up feeling unwell but there's a big day at work ahead. What do you do? If the answer is to go in (or log on), you're not alone. Research suggests anywhere between a third to a half of people in the UK work even when sick—a phenomenon known as presenteeism.
And your approach to sickness says a lot about you as an individual and where you work.
Age and Sickness
"The younger generation get the snowflake tag thrown at them, but it's not true," says Prof Sir Cary Cooper, a psychologist from the University of Manchester who is renowned for his expertise on workplace wellbeing.
Data from the Office for National Statistics supports this: Workers aged 16 to 24 took an average of 2.4 days off sick last year, compared to 6.2 days for those aged 50 to 64.
Younger workers are more likely to work in roles with little job security, such as zero-hours contracts. They're also less prone to long-term health conditions and joint problems that often lead to sickness absence.
Why Your Approach Matters
But why does age play such a role? Sir Cary offers several explanations:
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Younger workers are more likely to view their work as intrinsically linked to who they are, a concept known as work centrality. Research shows this leads to increased engagement and commitment.
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"These people feel a strong desire to keep showing up," says Dr Audrey Tang, a psychologist specializing in workplace wellbeing. Those in caring professions like medicine, nursing, and teaching often fall into this category.
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Others fear being perceived as weak or lazy. Younger workers are particularly susceptible, according to Tang.
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Some individuals might simply struggle with the guilt of taking a sick day.