Many employees have financial concerns about taking sick days

Latest research has shown that many employees are too worried to take a sick day in case it causes their finances to suffer.

The MetLife UK report also revealed that 21% of workers had concerns that their boss and/or colleagues wouldn’t believe them if they said they were sick, while another 20% would be worried about the volume of work they would have to come back to.

Responding to these findings, Activ People believe this shows that it is essential for businesses to regularly check in with and offer support to their employees.

Adrian Lewis, Commercial Director at Activ People HR, commented, “Spiralling energy and food prices, along with rising inflation will impact us all this year, but employees must not feel they can’t take time off sick because they are concerned about money.

“Likewise, it’s a poor reflection on British workplaces if people think their boss might not believe they were poorly or they feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they may come back to. Fostering a more supportive work culture could change this and make employees feel like they can approach their manager with any such concerns.”

Lewis added, “We recommend all businesses carry out regular one to one interviews with employees, whether that’s a regular appraisals system, monthly meetings or through return to work interviews after someone has been off sick. Creating a safe space to speak with an employee could reveal issues which could be tackled.

“It could mean working with an individual to better manage their workload, reducing their pressures which could positively impact their wellbeing. Creating an open and caring working environment will be key to supporting workers through the cost of living crisis and ensuring it doesn’t have too much of a detrimental effect on their financial or mental wellbeing.

“Having a robust system in place for managing appraisals, sickness and return to work interviews can help managers check in with employees regularly and provide an opportunity for anyone who is concerned and worried about money issues or anything else to speak up.”

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