More than four-fifths (84%) of employees say employer sick pay support is the most important benefit an employer can offer, according to research by financial wellbeing firm Wagestream.
Its survey of 2,000 low- and variable-income employees from a sample of 500 employers also found that 83% of front-line workers said they would have to work through illness because current legislation means they cannot afford to take time off sick. The vast majority (91%) said being signed off work for just two weeks would put them under financial pressure.
The research also found that more than a quarter (28%) of the front-line workers surveyed would have to go without food or heating if they were signed off for two weeks or more.
The current sick pay crisis also appears to be impacting respondents’ mental wellbeing. Some 86% said that an absence lasting two weeks or more would lead to feelings of anxiety and/or depression, while 92% are concerned about burning out if they have to work while unwell.
Emily Trant, head of impact and inclusion at Wagestream, said: “The UK’s sick pay crisis requires urgent action on two fronts. Firstly, we need to ensure that no worker is left behind: it’s unacceptable that frontline workers pay more for basic services, and, on top of that, are given less protection for their income. Secondly, it’s time to modernise policy and ensure employers aren’t left alone to solve the problem. ”