The other day, after chasing my 16-month-old toddler around all morning, I had no energy left. As a working mom, juggling the demands of both work and motherhood can be overwhelming, and I knew I needed a break. Not just to rest, but to give my mind a chance to recover from the mental load. So, I decided to take a sick day using AttendanceBot at my company. Thankfully, our company policy takes sick leave seriously—especially when it comes to mental health.
My request was approved right away, and I spent the day recharging. The next day, I felt refreshed and ready to dive back into work with renewed energy.
Not many days had passed, and a coworker sent me an insightful article from Business Insider that highlighted an interesting trend: sick leave, especially for mental health, is on the rise—particularly among Gen Z, who are prioritizing their well-being more than ever.
It got me thinking about how much the landscape of sick leave has changed over the years. With tools like AttendanceBot making it easier for employees to log time off, and with companies becoming more open to understanding the need for mental health breaks, sick days are no longer just for the flu. The idea that taking a day off to reset your mind and body is now considered just as important as recovering from a cold is refreshing, and I believe we’re seeing a cultural shift towards a healthier, more sustainable work-life balance.
Since AttendanceBot itself manages leave and time off for more than 50,000 employees worldwide, I decided to grab an engineer and do a quick analysis of sick leave trends among knowledge workers across different regions of the world. As I suspected, there’s been a noticeable increase in the number of annual sick days taken, and it’s clear that employees, especially in places like the UK and Australia, are embracing the need for rest, both physically and mentally.
Below are my takeaways from the trends and statistics showing sick leave trends in the US compared to other places in the world, using AttendanceBot data representing 50,000 knowledge workers.
Let’s break down these two graphs in a simple, friendly way. They show how much sick leave knowledge workers are taking across different regions—Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, and a worldwide average—from 2019 to early 2024.
Graph 1: Annual Sick Days Per Employee
- US employees (black line) have remained fairly stable in sick days, using slightly more over time and currently hovering just above 2.5 days per year. As commonly cited, the US and Canada use sick time the least compared to their peers, a trend that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
- Canada (red line) trails its peers. While employees are taking more leave now that 5 years ago, they’re still only averaging about 2 sick days per year.
- Australia (blue line) leads the pack when it comes to sick days, with employees typically taking around 4-5 days a year. There was a dip in 2021, but Australians have pretty consistently taken about 4.5 sick days per year.
- The UK (purple line) had a big year in 2022, averaging almost 5 sick days, and while that number hovers around 4 today, it’s still an increase from prior years.
- The worldwide average (green dotted line) is just below 3 sick days a year, though worryingly that average has been dropping slowly but steadily since 2019.
Graph 2: Sick Leave as a Percentage of Total Leave
- The US (black line) has generally been using more proportional sick days over time, but 2024 has seen a slight decrease, down to 11% today
- Canada (red line) – as expected based on low total sick time, uses the fewest sick days as a percentage of total leave. Ultimately this is great news that Canadians are still taking other types of leave, just not sick time.
- Australia (blue line) has the highest percentage of total leave taken as sick leave, which likely explains their large volume of sick days. Australian employees have remained fairly consistent around 16% of total leave.
- The UK (purple line) has seen pretty drastic differences year to year, with 2023 and 2024 seeing a significant increase in sick leave taken to other types of leave, around 16%.
- Worldwide (green dotted line) usage has hovered around 10% since 2019 but seems to be dropping slowly over time as other types of leave become more popular.
Quick Summary:
- The US generally trails its peers in sick time, though it matches pretty closely the worldwide average.
- Canada uses the fewest sick days absolutely and as a percentage, but usage is increasing.
- Australia takes the lead in both sick days and sick leave percentage.
- The UK saw a big jump in sick time starting in 2023, possibly a new normal after COVID-19
So if you’re sick, it’s good to be an Australian! Or if you’re uncomfortable with those sick days and prefer to take other types of leave, maybe give Canada a spin.
Rising Sick Days: What’s the Data Showing?
Looking at the trends globally, there are some key takeaways. For instance, in the US and Canada, the average number of annual sick days per employee has remained relatively stable over the past few years, hovering around two days. However, in countries like Australia and the UK, we’ve seen much higher averages. Australia, in particular, consistently records over four sick days per employee, and the UK saw a spike post-2022, which could reflect the lingering effects of the pandemic.
What’s interesting is that while some regions have a steady rate, others have fluctuated, possibly due to a variety of factors like changing work-from-home policies, burnout, and, as the article from Business Insider highlights, Gen Z’s strong stance on prioritizing mental health.
Mental Health as Part of the Equation
The data also shows that when we look at sick days as a percentage of total leave hours, the numbers are even more revealing. Australia leads the way with sick leave making up around 16-18% of total leave time. The US and Canada, on the other hand, show a lower percentage, sitting closer to 8-10%.
This could reflect cultural differences in how sick leave is perceived and utilized. In some countries, there’s a stronger emphasis on pushing through illness or stress, while in others, like the UK and Australia, there’s more acceptance around taking time off to recharge mentally.
The rise in sick days among knowledge workers worldwide might also be attributed to the fact that more people are working from home, which can blur the lines between personal and professional time. Many employees may feel the need to take sick days not just for physical ailments, but also for mental exhaustion, burnout, or simply the need to step away from work.
Gen Z and the Future of Sick Leave
The Business Insider article raised a great point about how Gen Z, the youngest working generation, is taking mental health even more seriously than previous generations. They’re not afraid to take sick leave when they feel overwhelmed, and they’re pushing companies to recognize mental health as a valid reason for taking time off.
This shift could signal a broader change in workplace culture, where employees of all ages feel more comfortable taking time off when they need it, whether it’s for their physical health or to manage stress and burnout. As more companies adopt tools like AttendanceBot, tracking these trends becomes even easier, helping businesses understand the importance of providing flexibility and support to their employees.
The Takeaway
Sick leave isn’t just about sneezing and sore throats anymore. As the trends show, more employees, particularly knowledge workers, are recognizing the importance of taking time off for mental health, and companies are becoming more receptive to it. Whether it’s an employee taking a mental health day or a working mom like me who just needs a break from it all, the conversation around sick leave is evolving.
And who knows? Maybe these trends will continue to rise as more people prioritize their well-being over the traditional “push through” mentality. It’s clear that we’re moving toward a more balanced approach to work, and I, for one, am all for it.
