Will price of fuel mean higher sickness levels .

[hattie43]

Just wondering how many people who commute to work will have to ring in sick at the end of the month because they can’t afford fuel until payday. So many are living month to month and the COL is only going one way .

Where I work has suddenly realised this may well happen. Paying minimum wage for a job in the middle of nowhere is coming home to bite them in the arse. They are already struggling to find employees. Nowhere near bus routes or cycling distance of the nearest one.

I don’t think so as ultimately people need the wage.

According to Google AI , the average round trip commute by car is about 45-60 mins/20 miles, which is about £3.70 a day.

If the cost fuel is more than the day’s pay, and that’s obviously unsustainable, expect people to consider cycling or public transport if possible (£2-3 buses cap), car sharing, home working, or ultimately changing job.
Some of the minimum wage roles may have to offer some solutions or face a recruitment / retention issue.

I hope these solutions work before people start using toxic payday loans etc.

I don’t think so because if you can’t afford fuel at the end of the month then you really can’t afford to lose a days pay.

I think we’ll probably see a move back to more working from home though if the prices stay high to try and offset this wherever possible.

I’m not sure it will lead to increased sickness, but people may change their working habits. I work in a sector when I visit clients at home, I’ve had to question whether I really need to visit in person for some clients or whether I can phone instead - not ideal with elderly/Hard of hearing clients.

Eh? People ring in sick because they can't afford fuel? Who does that?

I understand that the rise in fuel prices is going to cause difficulties to many but pretending to be sick is not the solution. They're going to be in a much worse predicament if they don't get paid or get sacked for throwing a sickie or being unreliable.

When it’s costing you £250 out of take home pay of £1k per month just to get to work 6 days a week (school), then yes, people will go sick on full pay to claw some back! Or leave for a better paid job. Or do what I’ve just done and retire on a substantially better pension and zero commuting costs.