Are you on the phone to work at the first sign of a sniffle? Photograph: Roger Tooth
How often do you throw a sickie? Do you struggle into work even when you're under the weather, or are you one of the UK's long-term sick statistics? The number of people declared as long-term sick by GPs has trebled to 2.7m since the 1970s. And the problem seems particularly pronounced in the public sector.
It was announced today that civil service sick pay in Northern Ireland is at its highest level for four years. At the Department of Social Development each employee averages 18.7 sick days a year. And at the weekend it was revealed that almost one in 10 police officers in the Kent constabulary takes long-term sick leave every year.
In this Saturday's Guardian Work section we visit another government agency - the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea - to examine why, on average, every employee is off sick for almost three weeks each year.
The health secretary, Alan Johnson, wants GPs to end Britain's sicknote culture by issuing "well-notes" that stress what workers can do rather than routinely sign them off.
But are slack GPs to blame? Official figures say 90% of those on incapacity benefit want to return to work. So should employers be doing more - adopting a more flexible approach which allows employees back to work even if they are not capable of performing all the tasks they would be if fully fit?
