Sick days: How Americans feel after the illest day of the year yesterday
Summer fever
In case you missed it — or were just OOO — yesterday was the nation’s top day for calling in sick.
August 24th beats out more cold-and-flu-struck winter dates, being named as the day when US workers most often take sick leave, according to research by Flamingo. Of over 10,000 employees surveyed, an average of 0.9% of workers were out sick on August 24th, beating February 13th in 2nd place, which often aligns — by coincidence of course — with the date of the Super Bowl.
The study also found that 54% of absences due to sickness were the result of stomach bugs, with suspected or diagnosed Covid being the next most common reason (25%), followed by stress/anxiety (9%) — or at least that’s what bosses were told.
Ill will
Even with time on their side, it's the younger workers that seem more inclined to call in sick. According to a 2022 YouGov survey, 60% of 18-29 year-olds in the US believed that people should be allowed to use all of the sick days provided to them, regardless of whether they're actually unwell — a 12% greater proportion than the national average who held that opinion.
However, there was a pretty sharp disagreement across generations, with just 36% of the 65 and over demographic feeling the same way. Indeed, seniors were a little more old school when it came to playing hooky: 55% of those aged 65+ believed that sick days should only be used if someone is actually sick.
