As companies around the UK brace themselves for a flood of phone calls on National Sickie Day, it seems media and marketing professionals are among the biggest culprits, with the majority suffering so much from Sunday night fear that they regularly call in sick on Mondays – and not just this Monday – because they are too worried to go to work.
So says the latest survey from independent job board CV-Library, published to coincide with the first Monday of February, traditionally the day when the greatest number of Brits take the day off due to illness.
According to some, a combination of factors fuel the rise in “no-shows”, including the fact that it falls on the day after Super Bowl Sunday, it is the first work day after Dry January and the first post-Christmas pay day.
But the CV-Library study reveals a more worrying reason, with workers so stressed about their jobs that they simply do not want to go in on a Monday.
The media industry has the dubious honour of leading the field, with over two-thirds (66.7%) suffering from Sunday night fear, with exactly half (50%) of those who work in the legal profession as well as those in leisure and tourism equally stressed. Over two-fifths (42.9%) of marketing professionals are also suffering.
CV-Library chief executive and founder Lee Biggins has some “fatherly” advice for UK bosses. He said: “If your employees suffer from Sunday night fear on a regular basis then it’s time to evaluate your company culture. Employees that feel stressed are often less productive, less efficient and, as the data shows, are far more likely to ‘pull a sickie’.”
Unsurprisingly, Friday emerged as the industry’s favourite day of the working week, with 71.4% voting it number one. Alongside this, 42.9% of marketing workers said they feel better about the week once Wednesday is done and they are “over the hump”.
Biggins continued: “It’s important to encourage managers to discuss workloads with any staff members that appear to be struggling; and offer support where possible. By encouraging employees to foster a healthy work-life balance, you’ll be future-proofing your business by attracting and retaining the best professionals in your industry. However, if you neglect to look after your staff, you may find it difficult to expand your operations and reach your company goals.”
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