REALITY CHECK - THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE HEADLINES

SICK DAYS: WE'RE TAKING MORE THAN EVER. SO WHAT'S KEEPING US AWAY FROM WORK?

- HAYLEY BENNETT

New figures suggest the number of sick leave days taken by UK workers is at its highest level in 15 years. Does this mean we're in poorer health and, if so, what's keeping us away from the workplace? A couple of years ago, COVID would have been the obvious culprit, but is it still to blame? And what can we do to keep people working? Well, the devil's in the data - if you know where to look...

ARE WE REALLY TAKING MORE SICK DAYS?

The worrying new numbers originate from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an independent, non-profit, human resources organisation that has been reporting on sickness at work for more than 23 years.

Figures from its latest report were collected from the human resources departments of 918 organisations and cover a total of 6.5 million UK workers. They show that the average employee took just under eight days of sick leave in the past year - two more than in the pre-pandemic year 2019 and more than in any year since 2008.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), however, puts the average number of sick days at closer to six, drawing from telephone surveys of 100,000 people. But the ONS data also shows a sharp rise in sick leave compared to pre-pandemic years.