More than three quarters of adults across Britain have worked while unwell, according to research from health assessment specialist Bluecrest Wellness.
The survey of 1,437 adults in employment, conducted by Find Out Now on behalf of Bluecrest Wellness, found 76% admitted to working while feeling unwell in the last year.
While the primary reason cited was feeling like they could not let their team down (48%), 38% said they could not afford not to work and nearly one-in-five Brits felt pressure from their employer to work while they were unwell.
When employees did work while unwell, 44% said it took them longer to get better and 23% reported that their mental health was affected.
More than a quarter (28%) said they were not themselves when dealing with colleagues, while 15% admitted to making mistakes and 17% to not being themselves when dealing with customers.
Women were more likely to work while unwell – some 37% said they had done so frequently in the last 12 months, compared with 24% of men.
But the survey also found a generational divide, with employees aged over 55 more likely to take time off when sick than younger workers.
Of those surveyed, 55% reported feeling generally unwell and run down in the last three months, and more than half had hesitated to book a GP appointment when they had fallen ill.
The most common reason, chosen by two-in-five people, was that it was too hard to get an appointment. Nearly one in five thought they ‘weren’t sick enough’ and another 18% “didn’t want to bother the NHS”
Dr Martin Thornton, chief medical officer at Bluecrest Wellness, said: “Presenteeism is alive and well in British businesses, and it needs to be addressed.
“People should not be working when they’re not well – and people should absolutely be accessing health support when they need it.
“At Bluecrest Wellness we specialise in preventative health. What’s worrying for us is that opportunities to prevent and detect the early stages of chronic diseases in the community are beginning to be routinely missed.
“We know that many of these can start with very vague symptoms. Your first sign of heart problems could be just shortness of breath. Your first sign of cancer could be just losing weight. And your first sign of diabetes could just be fatigue.
“It can be really difficult to put those vague symptoms together, which is why it’s so worrying that so many people are avoiding the GP – or waiting to see if things get worse. Businesses absolutely have a role to play here, not just in facilitating time off, but in actively supporting health and wellbeing – and investing in preventative health strategies.”
The findings are contained in Bluecrest Wellness’ White Paper, Prevention, a new frontier for wellbeing, published today, which explores the rise in preventative health awareness and employee priorities and attitudes.
Dominque Kent, CEO at Bluecrest, added: “If organisations really want to improve things like sickness absence rates and productivity, the answer is not to expect or encourage people to work when they’re unwell, but to help them live well – and stay well for the long term.
“There’s been an explosion in health benefits in recent years, but preventative health has often been a missing link.
“Yet supporting people to understand their health and health risks, make lifestyle changes and spot potentially serious issues early makes clear business sense.”