Study reveals sick leave cost UK businesses £1.1billion in 2015

The research study of 3000 consumers, commissioned by Clarity Informatics, reveals that consumers who spend more than an hour researching their illnesses online resulted in additional sick leave in 2015, costing UK businesses £1.1billion.

“With all the information available online, it’s easy to see why over a quarter of us classify ourselves in this way, spending an hour or more researching illnesses online,” says Dr Gerry Morrow, medical director at Clarity Informatics. “But there is currently no trustworthy source of healthcare information online – even ‘reputable’ sources are often run by hobbyist enthusiasts.”

UK consumers also admitted to going to work whilst still poorly, infecting colleagues and costing a further £360million in additional sick leave.

London is the most health-obsessed city in the UK, with nearly 44% of adults confessing to spending an hour or more researching their symptoms online. Cardiff and Norwich come in second (40.32%) and third (39.73%), respectively. The top five health obsessed UK cities are as follows:

1. London (43.69%)
2. Cardiff (40.32%)
3. Norwich (39.73%)
4. Edinburgh (38.30%)
5. Birmingham (37.58)

https://clarity.co.uk/