IT staff are among the least likely of any profession to stay home from work or even seek medical help when sick, according to a report by health insurance provider HAS. It is claimed IT workers would rather crawl to the office despite a variety of illnesses, including stress (80%), migraine (47%), diarrhoea (18%) and flu (17%).

And the economic climate is exacerbating that. Nearly half the workers in the IT sector are so concerned about job security that they are less likely to take time off when ill compared to a year ago.

In addition a quarter of respondents said they would be “too embarrassed” to see a doctor about a complaint, while a further quarter said they would be “too busy”. Interestingly, IT workers were also more likely than any other sector to “dislike” their doctor (9%).

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