A survey conducted by PushDoctor.co.uk, an online service providing video access to UK-based GPs, reveals that a significant percentage of workers in the UK are not taking time off when they are ill with contagious diseases.
The study found that 86% of respondents admitted to going into work with an infectious illness. Furthermore, 88% of the participants said they were not comfortable calling in sick, even if they were seriously unwell.
The data suggests that workplace culture is contributing to this issue, with 24% of workers feeling pressured to go into work when ill. Approximately 22% claimed their employers would prefer them to be at work as long as their illness was not serious.
One in five respondents reported discomfort being around infected colleagues. Coughs and colds (59%), tonsillitis and sinusitis (33%), throat infections (32%), flu (22%), and norovirus (15%) were the most common infectious illnesses workers attended work with. Employees in the utility industry, aged 25-34 and living in Bradford or Coventry, were most likely to go to work when ill.
