Around one-sixth (16%) of respondents would call in sick to work to avoid the costs of childcare during half term, according to research by Vouchercloud.
Its research, which surveyed 1,612 working parents, looked into childcare arrangements over the half-term period.
More than a quarter (27%) intended to use nursery or some other form of paid childcare, while 9% said they would take their children to work.
The reasons that 16% of respondents gave for calling in sick included not having enough holiday left to cover half term (37%) and the opportunity to spend the day with their children (29%).
More than a third (37%) of this group said they only planned to call in sick for one day, while 33% would take two to three days and 26% said they would take the whole week.
Matthew Wood of Vouchercloud, said: “Childcare costs can be eye watering at times, so it’s not surprising that some parents look at alternatives to paying them.
“Calling in sick isn’t ideal, but if [parents] have more than one child it can cost a small fortune to cover the school holidays.
“With school holidays generally longer than allocated holidays for the average job, childcare during this period is a problem that many parents can relate to.
“At least some bosses appear to be understanding though. In fact, it’s probably a situation that they may encounter themselves if they are parents too.”
