Company directors are the worst sick day offenders with 29 per cent admitting to having pretended to be sick in order to wait in for a Christmas delivery. The same 29 per cent said they would be prepared to do it again.

This is according to a national survey into Christmas shopping attitudes, commissioned by Shutl, the platform that gives people control over their deliveries. Junior managers / professionals are least likely to pull a sickie (three percent) followed by those in graduate entry-level positions (4 per cent). Businesses may need to brace themselves for a raft of sick days as the survey also shows that e-commerce momentum is continuing to grow at pace with over half (52 percent) consumers expecting to shop online more this Christmas compared to 2015.

Commenting, Jason Travaria, head of delivery, Shutl, says: These findings reflect the frustration online shoppers feel when it comes to getting their hands on their online purchases and the desperate measures they are prepared to take.  Thankfully for British business, technology means that it¹s easier for shoppers to look around for an alternative retailer who can deliver according to their needs and keep company sick days to a minimum.²