The Aporia · Workers should phone their bosses on sick days — text or email is not enough: government official

Workers should phone their bosses on sick days — text or email is not enough: government official

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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Lax, A. (2026, September 23). Workers should phone their bosses on sick days — text or email is not enough: government official. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/23/lifestyle/workers-should-phone-their-bosses-on-sick-days-text-is-not-enough-uk-official/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Sir Charlie Mayfield, a senior UK government advisor and former John Lewis boss, advocates for workers to call their bosses when they are sick instead of sending text or email messages. This recommendation stems from his report “Keep Britain Working,” which highlights a 77 percent increase in health conditions among young workers aged 16-24, with mental health issues comprising nearly half of those cases. Mayfield’s proposal aims to encourage open dialogue between employers and employees about sickness and potential return-to-work plans, addressing concerns over the current “culture of fear” that discourages managers from contacting sick staff.

Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Sir Charlie Mayfield, a government-appointed back-to-work expert and former John Lewis boss, has advised sick workers should phone their bosses instead of sending texts or emails. This recommendation is part of an effort to rehumanize workplace communication and address the 300,000 people who leave work annually due to health issues, costing Britain around £212 million a year in benefits and lost productivity. Mayfield's report emphasizes that calling fosters dialogue and helps prevent long-term absence; however, it does not mandate sick workers call while experiencing severe symptoms like flu or food poisoning. The goal is to establish supportive workplace practices alongside the NHS, aiming to reduce the 77% increase in young adults (aged 16-24) citing health issues impacting their work capability.

Written for “Sick Leave Phone Policy” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

1 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

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66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Allison Lax

22 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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🔮 (Maybe the girls could smell the lie on him even more than the Axe body spray…)

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Also by Allison Lax

I work at Spirit Halloween, and HELLweek is as chaotic as you’d think

2026-10-28 · New York Post

Brooklyn Grandmas take center stage at the 25th annual ‘Your Highness, Grandmother’ pageant

2026-10-26 · New York Post

‘What the hell?!’: New dog mom allegedly demands maternity leave for new puppy

2026-10-22 · New York Post

USDA issues highest-level recall on 1.5M pounds of hot dogs, bacon, more over improper storage fears

2026-10-19 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 22 articles by Allison Lax →

Claims (15 extracted, 1 hedged)

Sir Charlie Mayfield, a senior government advisor in the UK and former boss at John Lewis (a British high-end department store chain), recently shared that he wants to “change the norms” when it comes to taking off sick from work. asserted

it → share → work

In a recent interview with The Times, Mayfield said that workers should actually have to call their boss with the news that they are not feeling well and will be out of the in-person or virtual office for the day, rather than shoot a quick text or WhatsApp message before disappearing back to bed — or any secret fun planned for the day. asserted

they → say → day

He added that it’s “very important” to establish an active dialogue between the employer and employee. “So you can’t just text, send a WhatsApp, or send an email,” said Mayfield. asserted

Mayfield → add → email

“You’ve actually got to ring somebody up.” asserted

You → get → somebody

Mayfield has been leading a government-funded investigation on the 300,000 people who call out of work every year due to health conditions in the UK, often due to mental health issues. asserted

who → lead → issues

His report on the subject, titled “Keep Britain Working,” found that there’s been a whopping 77 percent increase in the amount of 16- to 24-year-olds reporting health conditions that quash their ability to get their jobs done, with mental health conditions making up almost half that number. asserted

conditions → title → number

Mayfield emphasized that he wants to end the “culture of fear” that keeps managers from following up with employees to see how they are when they’ve announced they won’t be in, due to worries about formal complaints being filed by the employee. asserted

they → emphasize → employee

His proposed solution is a more open dialogue between employers and employees, where both can feel more comfortable speaking about sickness, both physical and mental, and make “return to work” plans together, which may involve mental health treatment or finding different roles altogether. uncertain

which → propose → roles

“It gives you the opportunity to have a conversation,” said Mayfield. asserted

Mayfield → give → conversation

“To say, I’m really sorry to hear that. asserted

I → say → that

How long is this going to be for? asserted

this → go → long

Is there something we can do about it?” asserted

we → do → it

He also added that managers must “change the norm” so that sick days are squelched, so that it’s “almost never the case that you should be allowed to be off sick without being in contact with your employer.” asserted

you → add → employer

A study conducted by Jama Network published in 2025 found that U.S. workers have called in sick more often since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with health-related work absences skyrocketing to a whopping 1.29 million sick days per month. asserted

absences → conduct → month

The researchers said the findings should create “a new baseline” to affect public policy, adding that “policymakers should consider expanding interventions and data collection efforts to address the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the labor force.” asserted

policymakers → say → force

Workers should phone their bosses on sick days — text or email is not enough: government official

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Claims (15 extracted, 1 hedged)