Q: Do men take more sick days than women?

A: Apparently men are four times more likely than women to phone in sick due to work-related stress, according to a new survey by Medicash. The survey found that 20% of men admitted to having taken two sick days in the past month because of stress.


Although men take more time off sick, women reported higher incidents of stress-related ill health. Headaches were the number one symptom, with 69% of women suffering compared with 45% of men, while 57% of women reported problems sleeping, against only 40% of men.

While the survey found that men and women seem to react to stress differently, it confirmed that it remains a major problem for both sexes, with 31% of women and 24% of men saying they often feel stressed. Dealing with difficult customers is the most common trigger for women, whereas for men a heavy workload causes the most problems.

Small amounts of pressure at work can actually enhance our performance, but if pressure becomes unremitting it can seriously affect our health. Long term pressure or regularly feeling stressed can lead to physical sickness or long-term absenteeism. Encouraging a work/life balance and having open channels of communication between staff and managers are some of the simple things employers can do to combat stress.

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