Why Younger Workers Call In Sick More Often Than Their Older Colleagues

A new wave of research is highlighting an unexpected gap in workplace habits. According to polling from the Centre for Social Justice, workers under 25 are almost twice as likely to call in sick when they are not actually unwell, compared to employees aged 55 to 64. This trend, often called “pulling a sickie,” raises questions about shifting attitudes toward work, wellbeing, and honesty with employers. The numbers suggest something bigger than simple laziness. They point to changing expectations about what work should look like, and how younger generations define rest, stress, and recovery. Here is what the data actually shows, and why it matters for workplaces everywhere.

Four in Five Young Workers Admit to Faking Illness

The polling found that roughly four in five workers under 25 admitted to taking at least one sick day in the past year when their symptoms were not serious enough to actually stop them from working. That is a striking majority. Among older workers aged 55 to 64, the comparable figure was far lower. This does not necessarily mean younger workers are dishonest by nature. Instead, researchers suggest it reflects a generational shift in how people view the boundary between physical illness and everyday tiredness or stress. The traditional idea of “toughing it out” appears to be losing ground with younger employees.

Repeated Sick Days Are Far More Common Among the Young

It is not just occasional sick days that separate the generations. Two in five workers under 25 said they had taken unnecessary sick days on five or more occasions during the past year. Among workers aged 55 to 64, only about one in ten reported the same pattern. This suggests the behavior is not a one time slip for many younger employees, but something closer to a recurring habit. Understanding why this repetition happens, rather than assuming it is simple avoidance, may be key to addressing it constructively in modern workplaces.

Tiredness, Not Illness, Is the Leading Reason

One of the more revealing findings involves the actual reason behind these sick days. Almost four in five under-25 workers said that simply feeling too tired had contributed to taking time off they did not strictly need. Among older workers, the figure was much lower, closer to one in five. This points to a broader conversation about sleep, lifestyle, and energy levels among younger generations. Rather than dismissing this as an excuse, some workplace experts see it as a signal that fatigue management deserves more serious attention.

Mental Health Days Have Become the New Normal for Gen Z

Beyond general tiredness, mental health has become a defining factor in how young people approach time off. The same research found that 77 percent of younger workers had taken what they described as a mental health day. Among older employees, less than half said the same. This gap reflects a broader cultural shift. Younger workers appear far more comfortable naming mental health as a valid reason to step away from work, something earlier generations were often taught to hide rather than acknowledge.

A Broader Pattern Shows Up in Other Studies Too

This is not an isolated finding. Separate research from workplace wellbeing group Health Assured found that Gen Z workers took an average of over 14 sick days a year, compared to roughly nine among baby boomers. While methods and definitions vary between studies, the overall pattern is consistent. Younger workers, across multiple independent surveys, report noticeably higher rates of sick leave than their older colleagues. This consistency across different research groups makes the trend harder to dismiss as a one time anomaly or a quirk of a single survey.

Rising Anxiety and Depression Play a Real Role

Some of this shift may be rooted in genuine health changes rather than attitude alone. Research from the Resolution Foundation found that more than a third of people aged 18 to 24 in the United Kingdom now report symptoms consistent with a common mental disorder such as depression or anxiety. That is a sharp rise compared to the year 2000, when the figure was closer to one in four. This suggests part of the sick day gap may reflect a genuine increase in mental health struggles among younger workers, not simply a change in willingness to take time off.

Young Women Report the Sharpest Increase

Within these figures, one demographic stands out even further. Research suggests that around two in five women in the United Kingdom report symptoms of a common mental disorder, compared to about one in four men. Analysts have described this gap as a major driving force behind the overall rise in sick leave among younger workers. It suggests that any workplace conversation about mental health and time off should account for differences not just between generations, but between genders within those generations as well.

Experts Warn Against Writing Off Older Workers

Nikita Malik, head of work and opportunity at the Centre for Social Justice, pointed out that older employees continue to bring significant value to workplaces through experience and reliability. She noted that workers in their fifties and beyond are far less likely to take unnecessary time off compared to younger colleagues. Her comments serve as a reminder that as workplaces adapt to new generational habits, the steady contributions of older employees should not be overlooked or undervalued in the process.

What This Data Really Tells Us

Taken together, these findings paint a picture of a workforce in transition. Younger employees are more open about mental health, more willing to prioritize rest, and statistically more likely to take unnecessary sick days than older generations. At the same time, rising anxiety and depression rates suggest some of this shift reflects real struggles, not just changing attitudes. For employers, the takeaway is not to judge one generation against another, but to build workplace policies that support honest communication about both physical and mental wellbeing, for every age group.