Between a third and a half of people in the UK work while sick, according to research cited by the BBC. Known as presenteeism, the practice can be influenced by personal attitudes, employment conditions and pressure from colleagues or managers.
University of Manchester psychologist Prof Sir Cary Cooper says younger workers are sometimes unfairly labelled as less willing to work. Office for National Statistics data cited by the BBC shows that employees aged 16 to 24 took an average of 2.4 sick days last year, compared with 6.2 days among those aged 50 to 64. Cooper attributes the difference partly to younger workers being more likely to hold insecure jobs, while older workers are more likely to have long-term health conditions or joint problems.
Cooper also says younger employees may have higher expectations that employers should take wellbeing seriously. They may be more willing to regard mental health as part of overall health rather than something to ignore, he says. Psychologist Dr Audrey Tang adds that people who see work as central to their identity can find absence especially difficult, because not working may feel like losing part of themselves temporarily. She says this tendency is particularly common in caring professions such as medicine, nursing and teaching.
Fear of appearing weak, lazy or unreliable can also discourage workers from taking leave, Tang says, especially among people early in their careers who want to make a good impression. Psychologist Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo says workplace conditions are another major factor. When teams are understaffed and employees know colleagues will have to cover for them, guilt can make them work through illness. In organisations that prioritise productivity over health, she says, a “carry-on” culture may reward people for showing up regardless of their condition.
Quinn-Cirillo says healthy workplaces should allow open conversations about wellbeing and sick days, while routinely questioning absences can make employees afraid to take legitimate leave. Tang advises staying home after vomiting or diarrhoea until 48 hours after symptoms have passed, and after a fever until 24 hours have passed. Coughs and colds are less clear-cut, although working from home is generally considered more polite since the Covid pandemic. Both psychologists stress that the key issue is capacity: if physical or mental illness prevents someone from working or caring for themselves properly, rest may be necessary.