A third of UK workforce say 'it's OK to pull a sickie'

More than a third of the British workforce believe it is acceptable to take a day off work even if they are not genuinely ill, a new survey has found.

Research from employee management software specialist Crown Computing, found that 63% of people cited a hangover as the top reason for being tempted to take time off. The report also found that people are most tempted by good weather (37%), when it's their birthday (34%) and whether they want to spend time with a loved one (31%).

While the average worker may deem the odd unauthorised day off work as harmless, figures released by the CBI suggest the problem of bogus absence is costing British business as much as £11.6bn billion a year.

The Crown Computing research, conducted by an independent research house, amongst 975 members of public in employment, also asked for instances where people would be less likely to call in sick.

The survey found that more than half the respondents would be less tempted if pay was docked for each day they were absent, and four-in-10 people would be less likely if they knew their company was tracking their absences.

However, 10% of those surveyed said that nothing would stop them from absenting themselves from work every so often.

Mike Hawkesford, Managing Director of Crown Computing, said: "Our findings and those of the CBI highlight that individuals needs to be managed. While keeping an eye on absences can help identify trends and patterns amongst specific areas of a workforce, developing an understanding that you had a problem is not good enough, businesses need to manage absence as and when it happens."

Crown Computing which helps companies to improve staff efficiency also asked people about the reasons for taking unauthorised absence.

(GMcG)