Adecco and Lemsip today announced the findings from their latest ’Sicknote Survey’. The research data provide a valuable insight into how UK employees manage the ’work / cold balance’, showing that three quarters of employees go to work with colds, with 92 percent of those surveyed being concerned about taking time off due to illness.
The survey asked employees about their working habits while suffering cold symptoms. The most prominent findings show:
1. Hardworking heroes - 75 percent of employees continue to work when they have a cold
2. Team players - nearly half of respondents continue to work as they do not want to let the team down
3. Pay issues - 1 in 3 have concerns about their pay being affected if they take time off when suffering from a cold
4. Unclear policy - Only 18 percent of people have a clear picture of their company’s short-term illness policy
It seems that colds are the most common illness to suffer from and still work, with stomach bugs second and headaches third.
The UK has a hard working culture, where people see the need to carry on working regardless.
This work ethic is reflected with the UK working some of the longest hours in Europe. Companies need to clarify their short-term illness policies when people start to come down with colds. There is a big gap between a sniffle and a sick note, but UK employees don’t seem to know where it lies. Such clarification could reduce sick days lost across a team or department. comments Trisha Philips from Adecco.
A third of workers carried on working for 5 to 10 days whilst feeling the effects of a cold. To get them through the day most people, 75 percent, preferred conventional cold and flu medicines, rather than newer herbal remedies.
Comments a spokesperson from Lemsip: These results reinforce other research, such as employees in 80% of offices work more than their contracted hours2 to show that we truly are a nation of hardworking heroes. This long-hours culture can have an adverse impact on your health and make you more susceptible to colds and flu3. Like the average UK adult, you’ll most likely experience between 2-3 colds a year4, but with your busy schedule you don’t have time to stop to be ill.
You cannot buy a medicine that will cure a cold but you can find an effective, fast-working and convenient remedy to help treat the symptoms. The strong UK work ethic has resulted in manufacturers, like Lemsip, developing new formats to suit the ’life doesn’t stop’ lifestyle. For example new Lemsip Flu 12 Hr Ibuprofen Pseudoephedrine can last up to twice as long as a conventional pain and fever treatment* while Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Direct Lemon is a micro-granule format that can be taken without water.
For more information on Lemsip Max Direct and Flu 12 Hr and other Lemsip products visit www.lemsip.com
hardworking UK employees carry on through colds
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