New research has revealed that the vast majority of UK employees blame their workplace on their illnesses.
In a survey of 2,000 UK employees, Benenden found that a huge 87% of employees credit their place of work for the cause of their illness. Only a quarter of respondents said they felt consistently healthy at work.
Half of those surveyed admitted they felt depressed while working with just 40% feeling happy in their place of work.
Helen Smith, business development director at Benenden said: “Employers should take steps to promote their staff’s wellbeing in the workplace. We spend so much of our time at work that it should be a place where we feel happy and healthy.”
Presenteeism remains an issue in the UK workforce, as 46% of respondents admitted to turning up while sick. Once in work, those surveyed admitted to suffering a multitude of office related concerns, including backache (84%), eye strain (42%) and regular migraines (27%) among the most common ailments.
More than half of respondents admitted that continual work commitments stop them from going to the gym, while 75% said their employer doesn’t encourage them to adopt an active lifestyle.
Smith added: “Our modern working lifestyle often attracts much criticism and our research appears to back this up. Even when we’re ill, we persist in dragging ourselves into the workplace, risking a spread of infection to our colleagues or making our own condition worse.”