Fear of job loss fuels 'presenteeism'

Workers fear losing their job if they take time off work when they are sick, even if they are very ill, a report reveals today.

The report from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development says a culture of ‘presenteeism’ is sweeping Britain as workers decide to go to work, rather than stay at home to recover.

A third of bosses have seen an increase in the number of workers ‘who struggle into work when unwell’ over the last year, according to the report.

Overall, the average number of sick days taken by workers in both the public and private sector has dropped from an average of 7.7 days last year to 6.8 days this year.

In the private sector, the average number of sick days per worker has fallen from 6.5 per year in 2011 to 5.8 days this year.

And among public sector workers, the worst offenders for taking sick days, it has dropped to 7.9, the lowest level for a decade.