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Third of UK employees suffer from Sunday night fear
03 February 2020 Health and Wellbeing Workplace Culture
One in three employees suffer from Sunday night fear and one in four of these call in sick as a result, according to a recent survey.
The study of 2000 professionals, commissioned by CV Library, found that 25-34 year olds were the most likely to dread returning to work on Mondays, with four in ten stating that they regularly experience Sunday night fear.
Over a third of this age group call in sick when they’re too worried to go to work.
Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library said: “If your employees suffer from Sunday night fear on a regular basis then it’s time to evaluate your company culture. Employees that feel stressed are often less productive, less efficient and, as the data shows, are far more likely to ‘pull a sickie’.”
Despite professionals dreading their return to work after the weekend, employees actually think Tuesday is the worst day of the working week; with only 5.1% of respondents choosing it as their favourite day.
Friday emerged as the UK’s favourite day of the working week, with 57.4% voting it number one. Alongside this, nearly two thirds of workers said they feel better about the week once Wednesday is done and they’re “over the hump”.
Biggins continued: “It’s important to encourage managers to discuss workloads with any staff members that appear to be struggling; and offer support where possible. By encouraging employees to foster a healthy work-life balance, you’ll be future-proofing your business by attracting and retaining the best professionals in your industry. However, if you neglect to look after your staff, you may find it difficult to expand your operations and reach your company goals.”
Results varied by industry with the media industry topping the list with two thirds of respondents reporting they suffer from Sunday night fear. Electronics, legal and leisure/tourism industries followed with half of respondents reporting they suffer.