The number of days taken off due to illness in the UK is at a record low – but it could be a sign of economic weakness rather than strength.
This week’s news that the number of days taken off because of sickness in the UK has fallen to a record low has been met at best by puzzlement and at worst suspicion. Are we really becoming so much healthier as a nation – and so much more committed as a workforce – or are there other factors at play discouraging us from spending days under the duvet?
On the surface, the figures from the Office for National Statistics look encouraging: the average number of days taken off sick per worker per year has almost halved from 7.2 days in 1993 to 4.1 days in 2017, and that trend is continuing. Does this mean, then, that we have a contented, motivated workforce?
Sadly, that argument doesn’t hold water. Union membership has also fallen considerably over that period, leaving many sections of the workforce without the protections they previously enjoyed. Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School, has argued that “sickness absence is low because presenteeism is high”. Take sick leave and you are likely to be downgraded or even dismissed. Sickness – physical or mental – is equated with weakness.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
