A third of respondents would rely on employers' sick pay if unable to work

A third (31%) of respondents to research by Friends Life would rely on sick pay from their employer if they found themselves unable to work.

Who can you rely on when times are tough?, which surveyed 2,000 employees, also found a similar number of respondents did not know how long their organisation would pay them for.

One in five (20%) admitted to having no contingency plan at all if they were unable to work due to sickness.

Steve Casey, head of marketing and intermediary proposition development at Friends Life, said: “Many people are apparently relying on contingency plans to pay the bills if they are too ill to work without knowing if they are watertight.

“In these tough times, it is vital people ensure they have adequate protection in place, and that means making sure that the right things are being prioritised.

“The consequences of being unable to work for a prolonged period, for example because of illness, can be severe. While human nature dictates we do not like to think about it, there is action we can take to protect ourselves and our family.”

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