Parental guilt over unplanned sick leave

Financial and emotional impact of poorly children

Cameron Roberts
clock • 1 min read

Research by protection and employee benefits provider, MetLife UK, shows that 27% of parents feel guilty taking unplanned time off work to take care of a poorly child.

The research also showed that 17% of parents would be afraid taking time off would reflect badly in their role; 13% think it would impact future promotions or pay rises; 10% thought their colleagues would resent them; and 9% thought prolonged time off would result in a written warning or contract termination. The emotional burden was not the only aspect that the research highlighted, it also showed that 25% of those questioned feared the financial consequences of taking unplanned time off. Of those asked, 48% said they did not have a savings pot set aside in case they need to take unp...

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