Do you feel guilty calling in sick? Almost everyone does, and here is why
What happened
The BBC looked on 15 September 2026 at a question most of us have asked ourselves: why does calling in sick feel so uncomfortable? As many as half of people report working when they are unwell. Experts say the reasons are tangled. There is a name for it. Researchers call it presenteeism, meaning turning up to work when you are not well enough to be there. One of the more detailed recent measurements comes from a study published in Frontiers in Health Services in July 2026. Researchers surveyed staff at a large NHS mental health trust in the north of England. Of 1,828 employees who responded, 88.9% said they had attended work while unwell at least once or twice in the previous three months. Just over half, 53.9%, said working while unwell was expected or commonly accepted in their team.
Why this matters
Presenteeism is usually framed as a problem for employers, which undersells it. It is a health problem first. If you go in with an infection, you may pass it to colleagues. In that NHS survey, 41.2% of respondents said they had caught something from an unwell colleague and then gone into work themselves. Nearly a quarter, 23.4%, ended up taking sickness absence after that exposure. So the person who drags themselves in to avoid letting the team down can end up costing the team more days than they saved. It also delays recovery. A cold you push through tends to hang around longer than one you rest off. Conditions that need proper recovery time, such as flu or a chest infection, do not negotiate. And the study found something that deserves attention. Employees with long-term health conditions reported significantly more presenteeism than those without. That is the group least able to afford it.
What the evidence actually says
Let us be precise about what this evidence covers. The detailed figures come from one NHS mental health trust. About 1,828 people responded, which is 18.6% of the roughly 9,852 staff employed there. A response rate under a fifth is a real limitation. People with strong feelings about the topic are more likely to answer a survey about it, which may push the numbers up. So treat 88.9% as a strong signal from one workplace rather than a precise national figure. That said, it fits a wider pattern. Other UK research has found around seven in ten employees admitting to working while unwell, and healthcare has repeatedly shown higher rates than most sectors. The reasons people give are fairly consistent: worry about workload falling on colleagues, concern about how it looks, and for some, financial pressure. Statutory sick pay in the UK does not replace a normal wage, and for people on low or insecure incomes, a sick day is a genuine loss. That last point is worth stating plainly. Some presenteeism is guilt. Some of it is arithmetic.
Qurexa perspective
We work in pharmacy delivery and medication support, so we see one particular version of this. People who are unwell often put off sorting out their medicines because they are trying to keep everything else running. The prescription gets left, the repeat runs out, and a manageable problem grows. If having medicines delivered removes one errand on a bad week, that is genuinely useful. It is a small thing, but small things are exactly what get dropped when you are ill and tired. What we would not do is suggest that any delivery service is a substitute for actually resting. It is not.
Practical advice
If sick-day guilt is familiar, here are some things that help. **Ask a clearer question.** Instead of am I ill enough, try: would I want a colleague to come in with this? Most of us are far more generous to others than to ourselves. **Stay home if you are infectious.** A fever, vomiting or diarrhoea are clear cases. NHS advice is to stay off until 48 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea has stopped. **Tell your employer plainly.** You do not need to over-explain or apologise repeatedly. A short, factual message is enough. **Know your sick pay.** Check your contract for company sick pay before you need it. Statutory Sick Pay rules are on GOV.UK, and Citizens Advice can help if something looks wrong. **If you have a long-term condition, plan for it.** A conversation with your employer about reasonable adjustments is easier to have when you are well than mid-flare. **Use your pharmacy.** For coughs, colds, sore throats and similar, a pharmacist can advise without an appointment and tell you if it needs a GP. **If you are unwell most weeks, see your GP.** Frequent illness is worth investigating rather than pushing through.
What to know
Presenteeism, working while unwell, is very common. In a survey of 1,828 staff at one large NHS trust, 88.9% had done it in the previous three months. Over half said it was expected or accepted in their team. Staff with long-term conditions did it more often. Going in unwell can spread infection. In the same survey, 41.2% had caught something from a colleague and then worked through it themselves. Guilt is part of the story, but so is money. Statutory Sick Pay does not match a normal wage, which makes rest a genuine cost for some people. Sources: BBC News, 'Do you feel guilty when calling in sick at work? This might be why...', 15 September 2026, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8e70x3pjzo; Frontiers in Health Services, 'Prevalence and experiences of presenteeism in the workplace: a cross-sectional survey of an English National Health Service Mental Health Trust', 8 July 2026, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/health-services/articles/10.3389/frhs.2026.1823661/full; GOV.UK, 'Statutory Sick Pay', https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay. This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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