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

theguardian.com:

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.

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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