Sick Leave Fears

Almost half of workers who return to a job after being off ill feel embarrassed or worried that their career will be affected, according to a new report.

A survey of 2,000 adults by over-50s group Saga showed that almost a third of them had been off work for more than five consecutive days in the last two years.

Many of those were worried that their promotion chances would be harmed or even that they would face the sack when they returned from their time off sick.

One in three workers surveyed admitted that they had pulled a "sickie", although older workers said they were less likely to fake illness in order to have a day off.

Older workers are, however, more likely to be suspicious that junior staff are not really ill if they take time off sick, the study showed.

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