Those living in Yorkshire, Humberside and the South West are more likely to take "sickies" due to a hangover than those in London and Scotland, according to the survey.

However, more than half of those questioned said that they would be less likely to be away from work if their pay was docked.

Recent figures show that unofficial absences cost British business as much as �11.6 billion a year.

Do you agree with the research? Are "sickies" acceptable or a symptom of an inflexible working patterns?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

Even with so called "blanket days", your work-shy would still take days off sick on top. It's the sad state this country is in. Everyone wants everything, without having to do anything for it. If you don't like your job, change it and stop whinging!!
Jim Field, England

There are a lot of replies here about companies exploiting their workers and "sickies" being some form of revenge. Have these sad souls never considered just changing jobs to one of the enlightened companies also mentioned here?? If they all did that it would improve things for everyone!!
John Smith, UK

I get 12 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays as annual leave. I also get paid for up to five sick days per year. i make sure I take these regardless of whether I am ill or not - its payback for appalling annual leave.
CJ, UK

I have taken 12 sick days this year (3 genuine) Ol, Belgium

I push myself extremely hard at work and as a consequence, after a couple of weeks, I am often too exhausted to work. Even though I have taken 12 sick days this year (3 genuine) I have still worked over 150 hours more than specified in my contract. If companies hired enough staff and encouraged a relaxed and productive atmosphere, stress and sickness, genuine or otherwise, would decrease vastly.
Ol, Belgium

We are told that the British work the longest hours in Europe and with many employers not offering flexible working hours, it is no surprise that we take sickies when we feel like it
John Parkinson, UK

I am prone to really bad moods. Very occasionally I wake up in the morning and can't face going in to work, this usually occurs when there is little to do. I take the day off and when I return I am the bubbly hard worker I usually am. Result: my colleagues don't have to put up with my negativity and I end up doing more work, not less.
Laura, UK

I never had a day off sick in 17 years and ended up having a breakdown. I worked out that in that time I had done nearly TWO YEARS unpaid overtime. I wonder what the stats would show for the cost of unpaid overtime against sick leave ? I would hazard a guess it would be in favour of employers.
Gary Chue, England

The illness is that of our work-obsessed society James, Scotland

A sickie is a symptom of illness, so in a sense it is right to take one. The illness is that of our work-obsessed society. One that hijacks employees to work overtime (usually unpaid) and leaves their home life - their REAL life - in shreds. If employers want the best out of their employees they should force people out of the office at 5:30. Any 9 to 5 business that can't do this needs to take a serious look at the quality of its management structure.
James, Scotland

I think these figures are all a little spurious. Personally though, I get paid when I am here, and I get paid well, so I am not scared to take unpaid sickies if I'm ill. I think flexibility is what people really want. Treat them with respect, give them more flexible conditions to work in, and they won't take the mickey. If you treat you staff as if they hardly deserve the job anyway, then they aren't going to work with any conviction.
Paul, Wales

When I worked in the public sector I observed first hand how many days are lost there due to bogus sick days. Figures show that in the public sector the average worker takes an extra fortnight in paid sick days per year. This figure is unacceptable and illustrates how in need of a fundamental reform it is.
Edwin Thornber, UK/Romania

I'm in the fortunate position where I really enjoy my job, so I only ever take a sickie if I'm genuinely ill. However, throughout university I would sometimes take the odd sick day when working a part-time job; it was only temporary so I didn't care. The point? I think the more you care about your job and greater satisfaction you get from it, factors like sick days become less frequent.
Ross, UK

Taking a 'sickie' is simply theft, and should be an instant dismissal offence Barry P, England

Taking a 'sickie' is simply theft, and should be an instant dismissal offence. Those who go off for hangovers and similar put strain on the decent people who stay on to carry the burden. If you don't like your job, join the unemployed and see how you like that! At the same time employers need to have a flexible approach to 'time off'. My son's employer has a bonus scheme in which if he attends on time and every day he gets paid a sizeable amount, he also has the option of arranged time off via a supervisor.
Barry P, England

Some countries have stress days. Essentially an employee can phone in and announce that they are not coming in due to stress. I don't think that it would work in the UK due to the culture towards work and the unspoken rules that we all apply to ourselves. Therefore a sickie is our unofficial way of taking what other cultures do openly. There are those that abuse it and there always will be.
Nick, UK

Rather than look at workers taking "sickies" research should look at why workers feel the need to take time out. I work for the NHS the stress cannot be measured so sometimes days are taken off in an act of pure desperation.
Pauline Rawnsley, U.K.

I'm part of a fifty strong workforce that is constantly criticised for its sickness levels. The sickness level is the responsibility of four of those fifty people. I would be glad to see them sacked and have suggested private investigators as the means of doing it. I constantly have to make up the shortfall. I�m all for employee�s rights but not at the expense of the hardworking majority. The most damning part is the phenomenal accuracy with which they predict their recovery, if only our doctors were that accurate.
Dave, UK

When I was a civil servant there were effectively forced sickies Cliff Hulcoop, UK

When I was a civil servant there were effectively forced sickies, called Pencilled In Leave. Managers would order their staff to write down forced holidays in pencil, and then upon return rub them out. These days off never officially existed, and were encouraged and enforced from a very high level.
Cliff Hulcoop, UK

As a university student, I have found that if I miss an appointment through illness I have to have better evidence that I am genuinely ill than most people do who are in employment, and are being paid for the time they miss, while adding to the workload of others. Perhaps if these standards were applied in the workplace the number of "sickies" might be reduced.
Helena, UK

My wife works for a very large UK retail company that is predominant on the High Street, she and her fellow employees are EXPECTED to work 30 minutes unpaid overtime each night. Her company say that by working "a bit over each night" it shows the employees have commitment to the company. But woe be-tide her or her colleagues if they dare to fall ill.
Peter, UK

I work in a small team and would never take a sickie just to get a day in bed, as it would leave everyone else in the lurch. However, I have an interview next week so I suspect I'll get 'ill' then. If I thought my boss would be reasonable about it then I'd tell him but as this is unlikely I am left with no option.
Jenny, Scotland

There should be a bunkers' charter, maybe sponsored by industry John Everitt, UK

Unofficial sick leave is OK only if coordinated with fellow employees, such that they're not picking up all of your work. I think there should be a bunkers' charter, maybe sponsored by industry.
John Everitt, UK

A statutory right to paid sick leave is a valuable defence against the exploitation of employees. For that reason alone I think that blatantly making a mockery of the system by taking 'sickies' is a bad idea because it gives ammunition to unenlightened companies and the self-righteous right to try and reduce these rights who would have us all working ourselves into early graves.
Hugh, UK

�11.6 bn in lost profits for the owners - a lot more than that gained by the owners not paying their employees overtime. Who cares what the CBI think? If they are that worried, overtime should be a part of law and enforced...
Adam, St Albans, UK

She came staggering in this morning with a stinking cold from hell Alex, UK

I've just had to persistently harass my colleague sitting opposite me all morning to get her to go home! She came staggering in this morning with a stinking cold from hell and has been way under par since she sat down at her desk. All she's going to achieve today is give it to me!
Alex, UK

My employer is unusually sensible about working conditions. We have a good flexitime system that allows for things like visiting the doctor/dentist, and people are actually encouraged not to come in and spread their colds around when ill. Most of us also work close to our contractual hours each week. Strangely, people are rarely off sick, and when they are no-one complains.
Anon, UK

I reckon taking sick days even when you are not yet ill are good for your mental health. Everyone needs a break from work sometimes. Perhaps they actually reduce the number of real sick days due to reduced stress?
Steve, UK

To Steve, UK: You mentioned "Everyone needs a break from work sometimes." Er... isn't that what weekends and holidays are for? Am I missing something here?
Mike, UK

It's getting harder and harder to be ill these days. I was put on a disciplinary in my last job due to my having four weeks off after an operation! What is the country coming to when people can't take time off for an operation because they will get a warning, or even the sack?
Susan, UK

I have worked in the past for companies who treat their staff abysmally, show them no compassion when things such as family deaths occur and pay a pittance. The result, a dreadful attendance problem, with staff habitually taking Mondays and Fridays off with "stomach bugs". I now work for a progressive, forward thinking company, which completely trusts employees, treats them with the utmost respect and kindness and expects loyalty and hard work in return. The result - most people have not taken one sick day in five years, and the small minority who have, were most definitely genuinely unwell. The conclusions are not hard to draw.
Caroline, England

Is it a cost or a symptom of something more costly? If employees were more motivated, secure in their jobs, not working record hours with no overtime in an over competitive market with small bonuses and record payouts at higher levels in a company with record profits, you never know they might be loyal, trustworthy individuals that produce more in less time in a happy communicative working environment. Is this just a CBI statistic or are they really looking for the real cause?
Howard, UK

A flexible approach has increased productivity and morale Mark, London, UK

As manager of a team of six widely different employees, I've found having a flexible approach has increased productivity and morale immensely. If people are honest and open with each other about their needs and limitations then fairness becomes a joint aim and all sorts of negative issues can be avoided. British management needs to change it's "You are lucky to be employed here" approach. Happy companies are more often than not profitable companies.
Mark, London, UK

It would be interesting to see the CBI figures for the money gained by not paying workers for hours worked over and above the contracted week. If the company I work for is typical it will be well in excess of the �11.6 billion supposedly "lost".
Al, UK

Sickies are criminal fraud and quite rightly result in summary dismissal if caught. Nobody objects to cases of genuine illness and, indeed, that is why sick pay exists. But when the system is abused by malingerers everyone else pays the price. Companies should adopt a policy of rewarding staff with unblemished attendance records with say three additional days off each year and should also rigidly enforce a policy of paying only say five days' sick leave each year with anything above this falling to SSP. It is no coincidence that the highest rates of absence are in the public sector where there is virtually no work ethic and people claim to be off sick with "stress" for months on end.
Neil, Scotland

Sickness doesn't just mean a physical ailment. Mental health is equally important, and the occasional sickie can go a long way to helping maintain the delicate balance.
Derick Burton, UK

I have heard of companies that allow 2-3 so-called "duvet days" a year. These are basically days off that the company allows you in addition to your holiday when you are entitled to call in and say you do not feel like coming into work. There is no need to lie and morale increases if people know that they can take a day off "legally" whereas normally, these days would be a sickie. Bring it on!
Lindsay, UK

It seems as if the higher paid your job the more likely it is that your employer will turn a "blind eye" to sickies. The ordinary lower paid workers are questioned and scrutinised with official warnings for sick time off.
Avril Scott, UK

Given that the UK is the hardest working country in Europe, together with the fact that most workers in the UK are overworked and stressed, I don't see what the problem is! I wouldn't mind if my pay was docked because I work for a small company that does not pay me on time anyway!
B Calvey, England

Our customers cannot be served properly if the manpower isn't reliably available Robin, UK

Does the �11.6bn include the employers' NI contributions? If not, then the figure is far worse, by a factor of 12.8%. We are flexible employers but our customers cannot be served properly if the manpower isn't reliably available. I wonder at the feelings of the colleagues of those who write in your column that a sickie is a self-claimed recompense for their extra hours.
Robin, UK

No pay rise for two years, no career prospects and one of the best-paid CEOs in the country doesn't do a lot for your motivation. When people are demotivated they take more sickies because they either don't see the point or are going to interviews.
Steve, UK

The CBI, as usual, are far more interested in the hours lost to sickies whilst ignoring the complexities that mean that companies for which staff feign illness work their staff too hard, generate stress and operate in a manner generally bad for their output. Sure, there are a few people out there that are slackers but there many other causes than just sloth and usually it goes no way to addressing the profits that companies get these days from unpaid overtime, business travel and heartless staffing policies.
Phillip Holley, UK

When I worked in the city I was regularly ill because of colleges being martyrs to their careers Lee, UK

Unfortunately today's work culture demands your attendance, no matter how ill you are. Just look at TV adverts for cold remedies which play on people's fears over job security. When I worked in the city I was regularly ill because of colleagues being martyrs to their careers, even when dead on their feet. I have lost more time sick because of the stupidity of my colleagues than through any other cause.
Lee, UK

I was discussing this issue with several friends just the other day as we are all working now. What we all agreed was that, while our parents would see taking a 'sickie' as a terrible thing to do, we would all pull one for a day off. Paid or not! Is this a sign of a dying breed and a new workshy society?
Andrew Hill, England

I think sickies are allowed as long as you don't indulge too often. My boss doesn't allow half days so if I need to go to the dentist or the doctors, I actually have to pull a sickie in order to go. Bizarre!
Sam, London, UK

I think many companies have lost their way in terms of thinking of employee well-being. A hiring firing, inflexible attitude to workers means that they do little to encourage loyalty and so reap what they sow.
Rory, UK

British workers work the longest hours in Europe, is it any wonder that we take the odd "sickie"?!
Jane, UK

�11.6 billion is being stolen from British businesses Chris Hunter, England

It's thinly disguised theft. People who habitually take paid sick leave when they're in good health should try running their own business - and see what it feels like to be regularly ripped off by their employees. �11.6 billion is being stolen from British businesses, few of which can afford this kind of cash leakage. I don't object to people taking time off work when they're ill - but I do get annoyed when I walk in to a pub and see them propping up the bar!
Chris Hunter, England

I'm off on a sickie today, after a weekend stag do in Ireland. Personally I don't see anything wrong with that, the company owes me for all my hard work and extra hours.
Edward, UK

Absolutely, it's perfectly OK. My employer exploits me at every opportunity; they can only expect the same in return.
Andy, London, UK

In past jobs I have taken sickies whenever I felt like it. For seven years in my current job I haven't felt the need. If you work for a flexible employer who recognises that sometimes you do more hours and sometimes you do less, but you always get your job done then there is no need.
Graham, UK

Increased benefits such as sick pay were recently introduced for cleaning staff in my workplace. Within two weeks absence due to sickness went up by over 50% - I think this speaks for itself.
Pete, UK

You are expected to take your laptop home and work from there if you are ill K. Brown, UK

Many of us work well past our contracted 37.5 hours a week. Jobs are designed so that they cannot be done in the contracted hours but nobody complains about that. Pull a sickie (something you cannot easily do in my company as you are expected to take your laptop home and work from there if you are ill) and people start to have a go. Perhaps it is time we got the life balance right in this country.
K. Brown, UK

The place where my husband works does not pay a worker when they are off sick. (Statutory sick pay kicks in after three days at about �25 a day). The result is that his colleagues come in with a cold/flu/tummy bug and generally give it to everyone else in the workplace instead of taking a day off. Nice!!
Jess, Cambs, UK

As a long term temp worker, with only SSP if I go sick, I think the practice disgusting. That said one of the reasons I'm currently employed is that people are off sick! I've lost yet another fifth of my weekly income with yet another unpaid bank holiday, yet those that take these sick days always seem to be available for weekend work and bank holidays at double and treble time. They are also the loudest screamers if temp workers get offered overtime ahead of them.
Ian James, England

Let's face it a third of society have taken a permanent "sickie" and live on benefit. Is it unreasonable for hardworking taxpayers to occasionally share some of the leisured lifestyle?
B Essada, UK

It's right to take a "sickie" when the company you work for has refused you a pay review for the last five years and keeps telling you you're lucky to have a job. Downtrodden workers need to extract their benefits somehow.
Sam, Wales

Workers need flexibility Neil, England

It's never right to be deceitful in this way. On the other hand, to be motivated and therefore productive, workers need flexibility. Negotiating unpaid leave, in addition to paid annual leave, should keep employees fresh while allowing employers to plan for absences without a financial penalty or loss of service to customers.
Neil, England

I suspect that those taking sickies are the same ones complaining that they never get promoted, or that it's not fair that they aren't paid as much as others. If your attitude to work is that it's there to be avoided, or that you should get paid whether you're there or not, it is likely that your boss notices too.
John, England

It makes up for all the `voluntary' unpaid overtime that employees do. It works both ways.
Steve, UK

I use to take a lot of sick time myself. I would take days off just because I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed on a Monday. It all stopped when I changed jobs and became a manager. Now nothing annoys me more than people taking sick days for no apparent reason, as I have to re-juggle the day ahead and change everybody's workload (including my own). Some of my staff haven't bothered to turning in this morning. AHHHH!
Teressa, UK

I don't think sickies are acceptable. The workload of the person off sick falls to their colleagues so ultimately these are the people who pay for the sickie, not the employer. But I know a few people who work for the civil service who view sick leave as part of their holiday entitlement, to be used up before the end of the year. I'm sure unpaid sick leave would put a stop to that!
Fiona, Scotland