Sickies 'soar' on first Monday in February

Bosses are bracing themselves for skeleton staff today, Monday 4 February 2008, as national sick day begins.

HR Zone recently reported on a tip off that today would see absence rise. 'National Sickie Day' was established in 2006 after a survey of 4,000 workers found the first Monday in February was the worst day in the year for absenteeism.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are now expected to call in sick today. Experts say post-Christmas blues, poor weather and a long wait for the summer holiday season are all to blame for people taking today off work.

Surveys have suggested around 310,000 workers will take a 'sickie' today, at an estimated cost of £27million to British industry.

Peter Mooney, a spokesman for personnel software Employersafe, which monitors staff absenteeism, said: "It is a well-known fact in the business world that the first Monday of February is deemed the worst in terms of absenteeism.