August 24 is the 'Sickest Day of the Year'

If the cubicle next to you at work is empty today, you’re not alone. New research by platform Flamingo Leave Tracker found that Aug. 24 is the nation’s “sickest day of the year.” The company analyzed five years’ worth of data, looking for the most common dates that workers call in sick.

According to Fortune, the researchers found that “the sunny days of late summer showed a more significant drop in attendance than the frosty winter months typically associated with colds and the flu.” But it may be that the rising numbers of COVID-19 are coming into play this year, as cases rise and hospitalizations increase.

"When we found that the sickest day of the year is in fact in August, it was quite a surprising result," said David Hehenberger, founder of Flamingo Leave Tracker.

Experts have already found that levels of the virus in wastewater from toilets have doubled, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California San Francisco. Wachter predicts that hospitalizations will double and says the risk of infection is twice as high as it was a month ago.

“If you’re trying to be careful, it’s time to whip out the masks again,” he said. The dominant variant EG.5 may be resistant to immunity provided by current vaccines and boosters, according to CNN. This data makes the case that COVID-19 is not merely a winter respiratory virus like the flu and RSV, but a summer one as well.

The second-sickest day of the year, Feb. 13, comes during the traditional winter respiratory illness season, according to Fortune, but it’s also suspiciously aligned with the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day. The third through fifth sickest days of the year, according to Flamingo’s report are Oct. 25, Dec. 13, and April 18.

Other significant sick-day facts include:

• About 26% of Americans did not take a sick day in 2022.

• Approximately 5%, or 10 million, of Americans took more than 20 days off due to illness in 2022.

• Stomach bugs (54%), COVID-19 (25%), and anxiety (9%), were the three most common reasons for calling in sick.

• Most employees (54%) calling in sick used text, WhatsApp, or Slack to let their employers know they were ill. A third of them, or 33%, made a phone call, while 12% sent an email and 2% didn’t tell their bosses at all.

Hehenberger said company mental health days — an offering among employers that is growing more popular — are a positive trend and possibly one that can cut down on employees taking traditional sick leave for stress and anxiety. Even more importantly, he said, they can "reassure workers that as a business you care about their overall well-being."

Hehenberger said he hopes human resources (HR) leaders can benefit from learning about sick-leave patterns.

"Businesses will always struggle to precisely plan for illness-related absences because illnesses are unpredictable by nature; however, by sharing sick-leave patterns, we can offer businesses insights into workplace health, morale and potential burnout," he said. "By being aware of peak times for illnesses and sick leave, employers and HR leaders can make sure they have proactive management strategies in place to ensure operational continuity."