are twice as likely to take time off sick and are ‘seriously hampering economic growth' 
Obese Brits put the whole country in the slow lane: Fat staff are twice as likely to take time off sick and are ‘seriously hampering economic growth', report finds
Time off work for obesity-related illness is seriously hampering economic growth, a landmark study warns today.
Those who are overweight – nearly four in ten Brits – are 22 per cent more likely to have taken off at least seven days in a year for illness, according to a data analysis representing 147 million working people across Europe.
When combined with those who are obese, it means up to 60 per cent of the nation may be taking sick leave because of weight-related issues, such as diabetes or heart disease.
The data showed people with obesity are up to twice as likely to be off sick than those of a healthy weight. In the first detailed breakdown of how sick days vary according to weight, researchers revealed the UK is 'among the worst' of 28 countries examined for obesity absenteeism.
Experts said the findings, which are being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, reinforce how obesity has become the driving force behind 'sick note culture'.
They warned it was one of the 'gravest fiscal risks' facing the UK economy, cementing our reputation as the 'sick man of Europe'.
The Health Economics and Health Policy Research Group, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, Austria, looked at national survey data from a sample of 122,598 people.
It asked those employed for details of work absence due to ill health over the past year.
Data for the UK showed that those classed as obese, with a BMI over 30, were almost a quarter (23 per cent) more likely to be absent from work for any period of time. Severely obese people – with a BMI over 40 – were more than twice as likely (118 per cent) to take time off.
Dr Thomas Czypionka, study co-author, said: 'The problem with obesity is that there are so many health consequences that branch from being obese.
'I don't think that it is a good idea to just wait and let people get obese and then pay for the treatment and face all the consequences of them leaving the labour market.'
Last month, the Prime Minister announced plans to tackle a 'sick note culture' with sweeping reforms to the benefit system. But experts said the plans stand little chance of success unless ministers tackle obesity.
A report in December showed the UK has the third highest proportion of people with obesity in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, with an estimated yearly cost to the UK economy of £98billon.
Meanwhile, the latest data shows the number of sick notes issued by the NHS has doubled in a decade to 11 million last year.
Last week, a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank said obesity was a 'common factor' underpinning all of the top reasons for long-term sickness in the UK, including musculoskeletal problems, heart disease and depression.
Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'This research lays it bare – high rates of obesity-related disease is driving down economic productivity, with devastating economic impacts.'
A Government spokesman said: 'Our £2.5billion Back to Work Plan will help over a million people, including those with long-term health conditions associated with obesity, to break down barriers to work.'
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There are always those in any given population, that if no social or financial forces impressing upon them, will never amount to any effort or contribution for the group, on either a personal or national scale, and will even instead take without reciprocation whatever they can get away with, until punished.
How many group projects have any of you dramatards dealt with in School or tertiary education. How many parasites had you to deal with, which dragged the group down, out of either laziness or lack or motivation? These guys don't just disappear into the Eather after graduation, they become part of the workforce in adulthood, and literally bring nations down with them.
Some cultures are more prolific with their widespread laziness, others more intense with their need to work part of the group like the Japs.
Just look at the top fricking comment. I didn't even need to dig in the thread to fricking find a archtypical redditor to dismiss this very real phenomenon as corporate speak, to dismiss the notion that there really are fricking people who would coast upon the efforts of their peers their entire lives as parasites if they could get away with it.
I'm no libertarian corporatist. I understand on the opposite end, the insanity of Shareholder corporate greed, and big chains exploiting office workers by gaslamping them with corpo-speak terminology to dissuade them from taking their rightful breaks or sick-leaves of maternity holidays or whatever.
But 'sick note culture' is not one of them. Even separated by country, I have seen the EXACT same temperament take place in SA, half a planet away.
Peeps exploiting every sick leave they can get away with, literally surgically planning to take each and every sickday from their allotted annual sick leaves. They are often absent and late and trailing in their arrival. They normalize their laziness and go into efforts to avoid actual effort in work and in life, and in doing so are perpetually a drain on the function of an organization.
But it gets me when I see leftoids and liberals and redidtor types just shamelessly dismiss the notion, the existence of the notion - that in the relationship of employer and employees, that workers can also be exploitative and amoral
that grifters, and parasites and lazy fools can, and will exploit a system that will benefit them at the expense of the colleagues and employers, just as easily as a merciless CEO of a corporation will exploit those tired workers beneath him.
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What?
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These people never have any interaction with benefit claimants or people in those communities so they have absolutely no conception of their mindset. No one they know would abuse the unemployment system so they can't imagine anyone doing it
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I would say such people are a constant % though.
An increase in this I would blame on a breakdown on work being seen as being rewarded, wages stagnated in the UK hard and work is not rewarded properly. When people see this, they stop giving a shit and will coast as much as they can rather than trying to help the ceo get another boat.
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