Study: Employees More Likely to Call Out Sick on Slow Work Days
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Pixland/Thinkstock(STOCKHOLM, Sweden) — Workers are more inclined to call out sick when they know it’s going to be a slow, boring day rather than when things are normal or busier than usual, a new study of six Swedish workplaces suggests.
Overall, researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm say workers are two-and-a-half times more likely to stay home with an illness if they know there’s not that much to do.
There are a couple of theories as to why this happens. One is that people just don’t feel particularly motivated to fight through an illness at work if it means they’ll spend most of their time doing nothing.
The second reason has more to do with bosses not wanting someone spreading their germs around, particularly if they know the office can manage fine without them for a day or two.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio