WORKERS feeling pressured to work through illness instead of taking sick days is costing the economy tens of billions, a new report revealed today.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) commission on health and prosperity estimates the cost of sickness has risen by £30 billion since 2018.
It attributes £25bn of this to lower productivity caused by people working through illness, while the other £5bn is lost due to actual sick days.
The report said workers in Britain are among the least likely to take sick days, especially compared to other OECD and European countries.
It found that those who are black or Asian are twice as likely to work through sickness compared with those who are white British.
The report declared Britain “the (literal) sick man of Europe” thanks to low-quality jobs, overconsumption of unhealthy food, smoking and a low rate of investment impacting public health.
It warned that growing sickness will pose a “grave fiscal threat” to the economy that will lead to a dramatic increase in spending on welfare and healthcare.
IPPR senior research fellow Dr Jamie O’Halloran warned that workers are being “pressured to work through sickness,” which can be due to bad workplace culture, poor management, financial insecurity or a weak understanding of long-term conditions.
The report calls for the implementation of a “health-led economy,” in which employers are expected to ensure good workplace health, and where the economy shifts away from junk food, alcohol and other unhealthy products.
It also suggested encouraging having investments, such as pension funds, in the “health industries of the future.”
Kieron Boyle, chief executive of the Impact Investing Institute and IPPR commissioner, said: “Businesses and investors increasingly see health as an asset, not a cost.
“This report is a blueprint for their role in creating a healthy and prosperous economy for everyone.”
The Department for Work and Pensions said: “No-one should be forced to choose between their health and financial hardship, which is why we plan to strengthen statutory sick pay so it provides a safety net for those who need it most.”
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Millions of workers still don’t have proper sick pay protection and get little or no sick pay. That’s why so many people carry on working while they are sick - they simply cannot afford to take the time off.
“The Employment Rights Bill is a chance to fix our broken sick pay system. As part of its new deal for working people, Labour promised to make sick pay a universal right from the first day of illness. The Labour government’s plan to make work pay must - and will - deliver that commitment.”
