One in three Britons working while unwell during lockdown due to redundancy fears, research shows

Britons are feeling pressured to work while unwell during the UK lockdown, new research suggests.

According to a survey of 2,000 people by financial services firm Canada Life, one in three have continued to work in lockdown despite being unwell.

Additionally, almost half of those surveyed said they felt pressured to work through sickness due to fears of being made redundant.

One in four also admitted to feeling the need to prove they have been working every day and the same number have confessed to checking in with their line managers or colleagues more often in order to do so.

The findings suggest that the pandemic has led to a growing trend of presenteeism, a term used to described the practice of being present at work for more hours than is required, or feeling compelled to put both mental and physical health problems aside in order to attend work.

The data from the Canada Life survey suggests that younger people are more likely to work while they are unwell.

Paul Avis, insurance marketing director at the Canada Life group, said: “The ‘always on’ work culture we’ve adopted over the last decade has come to a head.

“Lockdown is making it worse and employees feel like they can’t switch off. As the physical and mental wellbeing of UK employees is stretched to the limit, productivity could be significantly hit.”

Mr Avis added that many people are frightened they will lose their jobs as a result of the pandemic. With that in mind, “it’s no surprise they’re working through sickness and worried about the implications of taking time off,” he said.

“Employers have an active role to play in encouraging their staff to take the time they need to recover from illness, mental or physical.”

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