Tuesdays are the most common day to be off sick

Most people are off sick at the start of the week, but the most common day to be off sick is a Tuesday, according to a new study conducted by online HR software provider breatheHR.

Based on over 15,000 sick days taken during the last 12 months by employees in businesses across the UK, the Sick Report shows that Tuesday is the most common day for employees to call in sick, accounting for 21.1% of days taken, closely followed by Monday at 20.7%. This drops to 18.2% on a Friday.

The five most common reasons that employees give for taking sick leave are: flu and colds 38.2%; stomach aches/food poisoning 29.5%; headaches/migraines 10.3%; injuries outside of work 10.2%; and work-related stress 10.1%.

The Sick Report found that the months with the highest volume of sick days were actually June (10.4%), July (10.5%) and August (10.3%), with our health improving in line with the end of summer. People appeared to be at their healthiest during December which has the lowest figure for absence at just 5.6%.

During the last 12 months the Sick Report indicates that the average number of sick days taken per employee stood at just 1.2.

Jonathan Richards, CEO, breatheHR, said: “Seeing the data from over 15,000 sick days highlight some really noticeable trends which small business owners are certainly going to find interesting.

“While I was surprised with the alarmingly high number of days taken as a result of stress, it is reassuring however that teams within small businesses certainly seem more committed to each other and the business than those in larger organisations, which bodes well for the economic recovery of the country.”

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