Millie Bannister believes Gen Z workers are prioritizing work-life balance and mental health, while Graham Wynn argues they have a “sense of entitlement” to sick leave. (Source: TikTok/Supplied)
Sickness absence costs the Australian economy billions of dollars every year, and there is a huge generational gap between workers who take sick leave and those who stay in the workforce.
According to a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan, Gen Z workers are nearly twice as likely to take sick leave as Baby Boomers, and the majority of younger workers take sick leave even when they have minimal symptoms. Gen Z workers take an average of 14.3 sick days per year, compared to 8.9 days for Baby Boomers, the study found.
Graham Wynn, founder and director of Superior People Recruitment, told Yahoo Finance that younger workers feel that sick leave is a “natural entitlement.”
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“More mature workers say, ‘Yes, I’m allowed to take sick days, but I’m not sick so I’m not going to take time off,'” Wynn said.
“This is definitely a generational issue. We live in an age of entitlements, and if you have the right to 10 days of sick leave, [younger workers] I will accept it.”
Millie Bannister, Gen Z founder of youth mental health charity ALLKND, agrees that different generations have different attitudes towards sick leave, but believes other factors also come into play.
“Younger workers, like millennials and Gen Z, typically value work-life balance and mental health, and are more likely to have the vocabulary to articulate these experiences, so they are often more comfortable taking sick days for these reasons,” Bannister told Yahoo Finance.
“Older workers, such as Generation X and Baby Boomers, often have a more traditional view of work ethic, feeling obligated to work even when ill due to deep-rooted beliefs about duty and productivity.”
Wynne argued that older workers tend to be reluctant to take sick leave because they have a stronger “sense of responsibility and loyalty to their employer”.
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“I think with younger generations, loyalty to employers is not as strong as it was with my generation,” he said.
Workers who are not using sick leave
Full-time employees in Australia are entitled to 10 days paid sick leave each year, also known as personal or carer’s leave, under the National Employment Standards.
This is accumulated annually and cannot be withdrawn when you retire.
According to a recent survey by Finder, the average worker has a whopping 27 days of accrued sick leave, and 47 percent say they feel pressured to continue working when they’re unwell.
Bannister said “presenteeism” often occurs when people fear losing their job, feel pressured to meet deadlines or work in workplaces where taking time off is discouraged.
Bannister said working when you’re unwell can increase stress and make it harder to recover. (Source: TikTok/Instagram)
“This really hurts productivity and can be as bad as not coming to work at all,” she said.
“If you ignore the illness, you’re not giving yourself time to recover and it can make the situation worse, both physically and mentally.”
Wynne said the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1% in June and the tight job market means people feel they have to hang in there.
“If I didn’t go, a lot of people would be worried. [to work] “Will I be able to keep my job? Will I be fired? Will it hurt my future raises?” he said.
Wynne said the work-from-home policy had also changed how people thought about sick leave.
“If you have a cold, you might take time off work to avoid infecting others. If you’re working from home, can you continue to work if your symptoms aren’t severe?” he said.
The need for flexible sick leave policies
Bannister argued that employers should do more to support their employees, such as offering flexible sick leave policies and making mental health leave the norm.
“Policies that cover both physical and mental health can help build a healthier workplace culture,” she said.
“Open communication about health and wellbeing also helps to spot and resolve issues that may lead to unexpected absence.”
Bannister said this will support employee wellbeing and ultimately lead to more productive and engaged employees.
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