More than one-third (38pc) of workers have used email or text messaging to tell their bosses they were sick and unable to work, and one in five employees admitted they were just pulling a sickie and felt too guilty to call, a new survey suggests.
The findings from the survey of 2,000 business professionals in the UK are part of a study into the way workers communicate. Social media, instant messaging, video calling and other communications technologies are at many workers’ disposal.
This variety of communication tools means workers are having to choose the most appropriate one for a particular situation, but the survey results suggest ulterior motives when it comes to which tool is chosen for a particular matter.
For example, 41pc of survey respondents use email, a phone call or text messaging to deliver bad news, but that percentage rockets up to 71pc if they think the recipient of the news will react angrily. This suggests a tendency to use communication tools to avoid confrontation.
Underscoring this possibility is the 50pc of employees who admitted they lost the nerve to call someone and texted or emailed them instead.
The survey had been commissioned for the launch of Orbit, a new communications system for businesses.
