Computime data report

The most common day to call in sick is Monday, with Tuesday close behind

Monday accounts for 25% of working-day sick calls across Computime customers, followed by Tuesday at 22%. Thursday is the quietest day, at 15%.

Based on anonymised sickness records from 300 Computime customers, September 2025 to September 2026. Working days only, Monday to Friday.

Sick calls by day of the week

Share of working-day sick calls, Monday to Friday
  1. Monday25%
  2. Tuesday22%
  3. Wednesday18%
  4. Thursday15%
  5. Friday20%

If sickness were spread evenly, each day would have 20%. Monday is five points above that, and Thursday five points below.

What the figures show

  • The start of the week carries the most sickness.Monday and Tuesday together account for 47% of sick calls, almost half, in two days out of five.
  • Friday is not the problem day it is often made out to be.At 20%, Friday sits exactly where an even spread would put it.
  • Thursday is the quietest day.At 15%, it has the fewest sick calls of the working week.
  • Tuesday is rising.In our 2024 data, Friday was the second most common day. Tuesday has risen year on year since and has now overtaken it, at 22%.

What this means for employers

A day of the week pattern across a whole workforce is normal, and it says nothing about any one person. What matters is the pattern for an individual: the same day, again and again, or short absences that keep adding up.

Hold a short return to work conversation after every absence, keep the record in one place, and use a fair, written absence policy so everyone is treated the same way. Acas has free guidance on managing sickness absence, and the Bradford Factor is a common way to see whether frequent short absences are building up.

Computime’s absence software, Leave Connect, records every absence against the day it fell on and works out Bradford Factor scores, so these patterns show up without anyone keeping a spreadsheet.

About this data

Based on anonymised sickness records from 300 Computime customers, September 2025 to September 2026. Working days only, Monday to Friday. Customers on older systems, where absence is not recorded in the same way, were left out so that every business in the sample is counted on the same basis. A sick call is a sickness absence booked by a manager for that day. Figures are percentages of all working-day sick calls in the sample, combined across every business, and rounded to the nearest whole number. No customer or employee can be identified from them. The 2024 comparison is from the same customer records.

Journalists: for the full method or a comment, email info@computimeuk.com or call 0113 350 9043.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common day to call in sick?

Monday. Across Computime customers, 25% of working-day sick calls fell on a Monday, followed by Tuesday at 22%, Friday at 20%, Wednesday at 18% and Thursday at 15%.

Is Friday a popular day for sick calls?

Less than people assume. Friday accounted for 20% of sick calls, which is exactly what you would expect if sickness were spread evenly across a five day week. Monday and Tuesday are the days that stand out.

Why are Mondays the most common day?

The records show when people were off, not why. Illness that starts over the weekend is reported on Monday morning, which accounts for some of it. Treat a Monday pattern for one person as something to talk about, not as proof of anything.

Has the most common day changed?

Yes, and Tuesday is the day to watch. In our 2024 data Friday was the second most common day; Tuesday has risen year on year since and is now second, at 22%.

How should employers handle repeated Monday absence?

Look at the pattern for the individual, hold a return to work conversation after each absence, and follow a fair, written absence policy. Acas publishes free guidance on managing absence, and the Bradford Factor is a common way to see whether short, frequent absences are adding up.

How was this data collected?

From sickness absences booked in Computime systems by our customers' managers, counted by the day of the week each absence fell on. The figures are combined across all businesses in the sample, and no customer or employee can be identified from them.

Can I use these figures?

Yes. Please credit Computime and link to this page. For the full method or a comment, email info@computimeuk.com or call 0113 350 9043.

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