Over half of Brits (56%) revealed they have ‘pulled a sickie’, just to enjoy a relaxing day off work.
Research shows that businesses pay £5.6 billion per year for sick days, with absence rates hitting 7.8 days in the UK last year on average. As 350,000 employees are expected to call in sick in February – the highest month of the year – Furniture At Work has revealed the ten major UK cities where employers are paying the most on absences, with London, Reading and Edinburgh paying the highest in sick pay.
Cities |
Cost of a sick day per employee |
London |
£122.25 |
Reading |
£121.58 |
Edinburgh |
£108.30 |
Bristol |
£104.40 |
Southampton |
£102.83 |
Brighton |
£101.85 |
Derby |
£101.63 |
Leeds |
£101.18 |
Northampton |
£100.36 |
Coventry |
£99.23 |
Businesses across the UK have revealed the six worst sick day excuses they have heard:
1. My only pair of work trousers are in the wash
2. The dog chewed my work shoes
3. I was out last night and haven’t had any sleep
4. My friend is on holiday so I can’t get a lift to work
5. My wife earns more money than me, so I have to look after the kids
6. I’m trying for a baby