Why many Australian workers are expected to call in sick this Friday

Australians calling in sick to work this Friday could cost the economy millions in lost productivity, however employee groups say granting staff the day off would be a chance for bosses to give back to underpaid workers and boost morale.

Friday is shaping as one of the year’s most popular sick days, with some hoping to create a long weekend starting on the national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

The “sick days” were predicted to cost the economy as much as $460m in lost productivity, according to a survey by Finder.

Unions NSW secretary, Mark Morey, said employers should be giving workers a rest.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced 22 September would be a national day of mourning – a one-off public holiday to remember the late monarch, after her historic 70-year reign.

Victoria already has a public holiday on Friday for the AFL grand final, but workers in every other state and territory are expected to return to work for one day.

Because of this, a growing number of people are expected to call in sick or take annual leave on Friday, to create their own long weekend.

The incentive is even higher in Western Australia where there is a public holiday on Monday 26 September for the Queen’s Birthday, making a five-day weekend a possibility.

Some schools may also see students skip this Friday, particularly in NSW with the school holidays beginning next Monday.

“The pay of Australian workers is going backwards and many are also working vast hours of unpaid overtime each year,” Morey said.

“Intelligent employers should therefore use a bit of common sense and let people have the day off, to give them a rest and boost morale.

“This Friday is sandwiched between a public holiday and the school holidays and unless someone is doing essential, life-saving work it’s a good opportunity for them to reconnect with family and friends and take a break.”

Chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Andrew McKellar, said employers would be expecting staff to come to work on Friday unless prior arrangements for leave had been made.

“There is no doubt that the public holiday will inconvenience many businesses that have already had much to cope with, however, it is also acknowledged that this is an exceptional circumstance,” he said.

“If you are having a long weekend by arrangement with your employer, make sure you get out and support a small business.”

According to a survey by Finder, one in eight Australians have called in sick for non-health related reasons so far this year, at cost of roughly $354 a worker, a day.

This would mean skipping work on Friday could cost employers more than $461m in lost productivity.

“Your sick leave should be viewed as a safety net for serious injury or illness in most cases, but there are times when taking a day for yourself is healthy,” said Taylor Blackburn, personal finance specialist at Finder.

According to the survey, so far this year 2% of Australians have taken a sick day to go to the beach, 4% to go shopping and 13% to just have a day off.

Rain is forecast across south-eastern Australia this weekend. Showers are forecast in Sydney and parts of NSW from Wednesday through to Saturday, while Thursday was expected to be partly cloudy in Melbourne, with showers for Friday and Saturday. In Perth, showers are expected for the rest of the week with the exception of Friday, which was predicted to be mostly sunny.

NSW Police were urging drivers to take extra care on the roads with double demerits coming into force from midnight Wednesday until 11:59pm on Sunday.