Blue Monday for sick days

More than a third of all workplace absenteeism in the UK occurs on a Monday, new research has revealed – which could present HR departments with an absence management dilemma.

The study by Mercer has revealed that the first day of the working week is the one most likely to see people phoning in sick.

Further findings of the research revealed that women take 24 per cent more sick leave than their male counterparts, while females are also twice as likely to take time away from the office due to stress, depression, anxiety of exhaustion, the Times reports.

Employers may therefore wish to tackle stress in the workplace, with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence stating that it could save workplaces around £250,000 a year.

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Meanwhile, around a quarter of all sick days arise from people needing time off for musculo-skeletal problems.

HR teams may wish to ensure they have an efficient absence management plan in place ahead of Christmas, with Mercer noting that January is typically the month which sees the highest levels of sickness absence.