Study: Younger workers more likely to 'pull a sickie'

Posted by Francesca Witney

Younger employees are more likely to feign illness than their older colleagues, new research has revealed.

According to a study conducted by Kronos and The Workforce Institute, some 65 per cent of all workers between the ages of 16 and 24 have 'pulled a sickie' in comparison to just 25 per cent of those aged 55-64.

In total, 43 per cent of all UK adults admitted they have taken time off from their job on the premise of being ill when they were actually perfectly fine, with many attributing this to feeling the need for a break due to stress.

Furthermore, issues such as having to look after a sick child or running out of paid annual leave were also offered as reasons for unwarranted absences, with many indicating that more flexible working practices being made available would stop them from doing so again.

This comes after XpertHR revealed that many performance-related pay schemes are insufficient to motivate employees. ADNFCR-2353-ID-800737043-ADNFCR

22/09/2011 14:39

News category: Employment

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