Gen Z workers are twice as likely to fake a sick day as older colleagues, new poll finds

Almost half of 18-to-29-year-olds are reportedly experiencing a 'quarter-life crisis', with uncertainty about future opportunities cited among pressures facing younger workers.

Eight in ten workers under 25 owned up to phoning in sick despite being fit for work, while only four in ten of those aged 55 to 64 said the same, according to a poll of 2,123 people conducted by Merlin Strategy for the Centre for Social Justice. The survey laid bare a sharp generational gap in the reasons cited, with Gen Z significantly more inclined to point to tiredness, burnout or a hangover. Close to four in ten under-25s admitted to clocking up at least five fake sick days over the past year, a figure that fell to just one in ten among older workers.

More than half of under-25s said they had used sick days to attend job interviews.

Burnout drove 77 per cent of younger workers to fake illness, compared to 45 per cent of those aged 55 to 64.

The findings come after a separate July study found 66 per cent of Gen Z workers admitted to faking productivity while actually at the office.

The IndependentGen Z workers more likely to pull a sickie than older employees, new poll suggests New York PostGen Z twice as likely as older workers to call out sick — even when they’re not - New York Post NewswavThe generation most likely to pull a sick day - Newswav

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