It’s our first few weeks back at work after the festive break, and let’s be honest, you’d be lying if calling in sick one day hadn’t crossed your mind by now, especially when the early-morning alarm was ringing in your ears.
If that’s you, don’t worry as new research has suggested that regionally, the North West ranks in fourth place for likeliness to call in sick to work compared to anywhere else in the country.
The study from personal injury experts claims.co.uk analysed the Office of National Statistics (ONS) sickness absence data from 2018 to 2022, and they identified a range of demographics – which recorded where, when, and why Brits are prone to ‘pulling a sickie’.
ADVERTISEMENT
New survey finds Northerners are the most likely to ‘pull a sickie’ at work / Credit: Isabella Fisher (via Unsplash) | Wikimedia Commons
Every year, the UK workforce loses on average 146.6 million days due to sickness, which equates to approximately 4.5 days per worker, or almost a full working week, and in January especially, employers pay particular attention to absences, as workers often contend with flu season, as well as post-holiday blues, and holiday-related illnesses.
Understandably, there’s no way to record how many of these requests were genuine or whether they just fancied hitting snooze for an extra three hours on a Monday morning after a heavy weekend… but hey, we’ve all been there, right?
ADVERTISEMENT
In our corner of the country, people in the North West are losing a combined 16.5 million working days a year, which equates to a slightly above-average 4.7 working days per person.
Taking the top spot is the North East, with 5.1 days lost annually, while the the East Midlands finished in a close second with 4.9 days off per year, and then just marginally-ahead of the North West in third place was Yorkshire and Humberside on 4.8 days lost.
The North West has placed four on the list of UK regions / Credit: Jose Losada (via Unsplash)
When we break down the stats, there’s some interesting variables that people might not expect.
ADVERTISEMENT
You’d think the age group most likely to ring in sick would be the youngest, but it turns out that’s not the case, as the young’uns are only losing an estimated 10.2 million days per year – which is 65.2% lower than the average, and instead, with an average of 56.3 million total days lost per year, it’s the 50 to 64-year-olds who come out on top.
Mancs who are ‘unlucky in love’ wanted for new BBC reality dating series
Emily Sergeant
The BBC is currently casting for a brand new reality dating show similar to Love Island, and Mancs are being encouraged to apply.
Mancs who’d consider themselves to be “unlucky in love”, that is.
You may have seen this week that ITV has released the long-awaited lineup of famous faces set to head into the Love Island villa for the second ‘All Stars’ series starting next week, but for those regular folk on the look-out for that special someone to spend the rest of their lives with, the BBC and its newest series has got you covered.
If marriage is your end goal, this new show takes care of that sooner rather than later, as singles get matched up and married pretty much as soon as their journey starts.
📢 Stranded on Honeymoon Island is to arrive on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer in 2025!
A bold and original new adventure dating format is coming to the UK, created by the team behind Married At First Sight
From the creators of Married at First Sight, and set to be titled ‘Stranded on Honeymoon Island’, casting directors are calling on single people who are ready to “find their perfect match in paradise” to apply.
Anyone thinking of sticking an application in just need to be 18 years of age or over, and have the right to live and work in the UK, as well as being open to getting ‘married’ on TV too, of course.
A casting call on the BBC website reads: “Are you single, unlucky in love, and ready to find your perfect match in paradise? The series will see 12 unlucky-in-love singles get matched up and married, before being marooned on a tropical island, to see if true love will blossom and survive…or dive?.”
Mancs who are ‘unlucky in love’ are wanted to apply for new BBC reality dating series / Credit: BBC
Produced for the BBC by CPL Productions, no release date for Stranded on Honeymoon Island has been revealed yet, but filming is expected to take place this year.
Applications are now live, and you have until 28 February to pop your name down.
Fancy it then? Find out more and apply on the BBC website here.
Featured Image – VTM2 / BBC
Trending
New survey reveals the UK’s best and worst motorway service stations
Emily Sergeant
A new survey has revealed the best and worst motorway service stations in the UK.
While we don’t usually visit them for fun, many Brits will agree that a crucial part of any long-distance journey is planning out the motorway services stations to stop off at along the way.
But out of all the service stations that are dotted across the country, which one is rated as the best? And which is the worst?
Well, with a new year now here, leading consumer choice company, Which?, recruited 2,719 people to rate a total of 70 UK service stations in a number of categories – including the range and quality of shops and food outlets, prices, convenience, parking, accessibility, cleanliness, and more.
The customer score for each service station combines the overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommending.
Gloucester Services has been named the UK’s best service station / Credit: Gloucester Services
Topping the list as the best motorway service station in the UK is Gloucester Services, between junctions 11A and 12 on the M5, which received a whopping four out of five stars for all categories – with a customer score of 86%.
One visitor said it was “as far from a typical motorway stop as you can imagine”, with other customers praising its “fabulous” farm shop selling home-cooked meals and local produce.
At the other end of the scale though is the Moto-owned Bridgwater Services in Somerset, which ranked the worst in Britain by Which? after it was awarded just one star out of five for all categories analysed and received an overall customer score of just 32%.
Recent visitors described the venue as “dirty” and “depressing”, and others complained of a urine smell and toilet paper strewn on the floor, while another claimed it “should be demolished”.
Tebay Services has taken the second spot on the list of the UK’s best / Credit: Tebay Services
Top 5 best motorway services in the UK
Gloucester Services (86%)
Tebay Services (83%)
Cairn Lodge Services (69%)
Norton Canes Services (65%)
Wetherby Services (61%)
Top 5 worst motorway services in the UK
Bridgwater Services (32%)
Gordano Services (40%)
Newport Pagnell Services (41%)
Sandbach Services (42%)
Keele Services (42%)
Moto’s Bridgewater Services was named the worst UK service station / Credit: Which?
Speaking on the unveiling of best and worst UK service stations, Rory Boland, Editor of Magazine Which? Travel, said: “The results of our survey show that it pays to plan ahead to avoid some of the UK’s worst motorway services.
“It could be the difference between a home-cooked meal in peaceful surroundings or crowded queues in downright dirty facilities.
“Whether you’re zipping down the M5 towards the beaches on the south-west coast, or up the M6 towards the Scottish border, make sure your journey isn’t spoiled by a stop at a shoddy service station.”
Harry Quick -
11th January 2024 
