National Sickie Day: Time to Talk About Workplace Wellbeing

When National Sickie Day rolled around recently on the show, I fully expected to hear the usual outrage from HR professionals. You know the type of response: tut-tutting about workplace ethics, warnings about disciplinary procedures, stern reminders about honesty and integrity.

But Joanne Wilson from Peach Law in Cheadle Hulme had a refreshingly different take, and honestly, it made me sit up and think.

Looking Beneath the Surface

Instead of the predictable sickies are terrible lecture, Joanne suggested we need to lift up the lid and look a bit deeper. Why do people feel they need to take a sickie in the first place?

It’s a fair question, and the answers are more complicated than you might think.

The stats are pretty sobering. About one in five workers—that’s 20% of the workforce—take days off due to stress-related issues. That’s not people nursing hangovers or extending their weekends.

That’s genuine mental health strain showing up in absence figures.

The Hair Disaster and Other Tales

Now, before we get too serious, let me tell you about the message we got from listener, Janice.

Her friend took a sickie because – wait for it – her hairdresser absolutely butchered her hair.

So catastrophic was this follicular disaster that she had to make herself cry before phoning in sick to sound convincing.

Mmmm. Not sure about that one, if I’m honest!

And if you search online, you’ll find people have pulled sickies for everything from my dog ate my car keys to I accidentally superglued my hand to my bed. The reasons can be bizarre, sometimes hilarious, but sometimes they point to something more serious going on.

The Generational Divide at Work

Here’s where Joanne’s perspective gets really interesting. She pointed out that many businesses now are dealing with multi-generational employees, probably spanning five different generations with very different viewpoints and ethics.

The younger generation, particularly post-COVID, are more focused on themselves, their own wellbeing, and having a good work-life balance.

Meanwhile, the older generation often carries that business ethic, work, work, work, work,
work mentality – you know, the 15-hour-day brigade where you have to prove you’re doing agreat job by working yourself into the ground.

Joanne mentioned chatting with a bloke recently who proudly announced he’d only taken six days off all year, as if it was a badge of honor.

It’s not. Your annual leave exists for a reason: to recharge your batteries, to be yourself, to have a life outside of work.

The Real Problem: People Don’t Feel Safe

The real problem, according to Joanne, is that people don’t feel safe to actually say why they don’t want to come in.

It’s easier just to think, Do you know what, I’ll throw a sickie today, it’s one day, I’m not bothered.  Rather than being honest about needing a mental health day or just not feeling it today.

Think about it: if someone feels they have to lie about being ill rather than admitting they’re
struggling, what does that say about workplace culture?

About 70% of people who manage others have received no management training whatsoever. That’s extraordinary.

These are often brilliant people who’ve been promoted because they’re ace at their jobs—the star salesperson who suddenly finds themselves managing five people—but nobody’s equipped them with the skills to have these tricky conversations.

So What’s the Answer?

Joanne reckons we need to find something in the middle so that people feel safe.

Employers need to lead by example.

Review those holiday charts monthly—if someone’s got 20 days still to take by June, something’s wrong. Make sure people take proper lunch breaks, not eating sandwiches with one hand while typing with the other.

What we really need to do is get both employers and employees meeting in the middle so that we can have those safe conversations. You can’t really just say no to sickies without lifting up the lid and understanding the deeper issues.

A workplace where people feel safe  enough to be honest, where taking time off isn’t seen as weakness, and where we recognise that sometimes, people just need a day.

Even if their hairdresser did ruin their life!