National Sickie Day

Were you off on National Sickie Day"?

The first Monday in February has been dubbed "National Sickie Day after several surveys suggested that more than 300,000 workers call in sick, costing the economy millions of pounds.

One survey of more than 4,000 full-time employees for Sky Travel found that seven people in 10 would choose a Monday for a sneaky day off and that most opted for the first Monday in February.

Almost one in five considers it "appropriate" to tell the boss by text message.Those who choose to face their managers employ their acting skills, with 28 per cent pretending to cough and splutter in the office before their sick day and 55 per cent carrying on with the act after their return.

Liverpool is top of the poll. Workers there admit taking up to 13 unofficial days off a year, compared with three days in London.

The poll found that 80 per cent of workers were dissatisfied with the average 22 days holiday entitlement and 35 per cent saw this as a reason to take unofficial days off.

Peter Mooney, spokesman for Employersafe, which monitors staff absenteeism, says: "It is a well-known fact in the business world that the first Monday of February is deemed the worst in terms of absenteeism...Psychologists claim National Sickie Day is the result of a combination of factors, including bad weather, long, dark nights and the seemingly never-ending wait until summer."