British workers with a cold or flu are afraid to take sick leave because of heavy workloads and other colleagues’ critical views, a survey by Canada Life Group revealed. 

More than one-third of the workers said they would go to work even if they had flu, while 93 percent of those surveyed said they would not miss work if they had a cold. 

Another reason for avoiding sick leave is the heavy workload that tends to build up while they stay home sick, the survey found. Employees were also mindful of judgments by coworkers or the chance of losing their jobs if they took the day off even if they were genuinely sick. 

“It is worrying to see that so many employees feel they cannot take a day off,” said Paul Avis, from Canada Life Group.

He said that employers should better communicate with workers and ensure that taking a day off due to illness does not harm the employee’s career opportunities.

From news reports
(knews@heraldcorp.com)